Heart of Destiny
by Nightshroud
Summary: Sequel to Angel of Heart. After Amnael's attack on the Destiny Islands eight years ago, Sota starts to long for his own adventure. What no one can predict is what this new universe holds for him.
1. Escape

**Chapter I: Escape**

* * *

**Nightshroud:** Okay, so if you're here, you probably followed over from my first story, Angel of Heart. If not, then welcome! In any case, this story is a sequel, starring the little brother of my heroine from the first story and takes place about eight years since then. That would place Sota at 15 (and Reyna, Tyson, and Namé at 22, and Kai at 23 if your interested after reading the first one). All right, I hope you enjoy!

* * *

Sota sat on the beach of the Destiny Islands, just having gotten out of school. He sat close to the water, which lapped close to his now bare feet. He loosened his school tie and rolled up his pants. He summoned his keyblade, Brave Soul, to his hand and looked at it. He swung it around a bit, then returned it to its place on his lap. He sighed as he gazed at it.

"It all seems like so long ago..."

"What does?"

"Aahh!" he cried, falling backward. His older sister Reyna laughed at him.

"Clumsy," she said with a giggle. Sota scowled and sat back up.

"Nothing," he said, vanishing his keyblade.

"C'mon, you can talk to me," Reyna said, sitting down. Sota stared out at the water. Reyna was about to give up when he spoke.

"When the Destiny Islands was attacked by that Amnael guy, it was so exciting getting a keyblade, fighting the Heartless, and saving the islands. But ever since then, nothing's happened. I mean, you can't give me a taste of that kind of excitement and then leave me hanging!"

Reyna laughed. "You know, adventures like I had aren't all fun and games. It's not easy at all, and you often have to give up something in return. Trust me, life's never the same after something like that. You're better off finishing school and getting a great meaningful career."

"That's easy for you to say. You already had your adventure, and know you're in college and practically engaged to Kai."

Reyna blushed and pushed him over.

"Anyway, I think it would be worth it, just to get a chance to go out there. I don't think I'd mind sacrificing something in return."

"Careful, these things never work out how you think," she said with a somewhat sad smile. They sat in silence for a few moments, then Reyna got up.

"I've gotta get back home to help mom with dinner. You just make sure you're not late. _Again_."

"Whatever," he said with a grin.

"Brat," she teased, punching his arm playfully. Sota watched as she walked towards the road that led into town. Sota summoned his keyblade back and looked at it.

"Why was I given this if I was never going to really use it? All I know is I need a chance to escape this place."

He sighed and vanished it. He got up and turned to walk away when he tripped and fell. He laughed and rolled over, looking up at the sky. As he looked up, he suddenly got a strange feeling, and he suddenly felt as if the ground beneath him melted away. In a split second, he could see the beach vanishing above him as he sank frighteningly fast underwater.

"What's going on?" he wondered. It felt like he was underwater, but he found he could breathe. He turned his head and could see something coming into view. His descent slowed, and he landed gently on a strange platform. It had a young girl with short black hair in pink with a red bow on her head. Around the border was a picture of a gate with a clownish head on top, and in circles around her was a young boy with spiky blond hair, a boy with short black hair and a shovel, a spiky, black haired boy with tattoo's on his arms, a pink haired woman in a witch outfit, a young man with long blond hair, a man with long brown hair in a ponytail, and a metal ball with a face and mustache attached to a hammer by a chain.

"Where am I?" he asked himself. He could have sworn he didn't actually speak those words, but a voice responded to him.

"You've been here before, haven't you?" it said. He found himself vaguely remembering something from a long time ago. Eight years in fact.

"I was here...when...when...I got the keyblade. But it was different."

_"You are needed elsewhere," it replied. "Will you go?"_

"Go? Of course I will! But where?"

_"So much to do, so little time..."_ it said. Sota sighed. This thing, or whatever it was, wasn't very helpful.

"_Power sleeps within you. If you give it form, it will give you strength. Choose well._," it said. Three pedastals appeared, one with a sword, one with a staff, and the other with a shield.

"Why do I need a weapon if I have a keyblade?" he wondered, summoning it to his hand. He walked over to the sword and grabbed it.

_"The power of the warrior. Invincible courage. A sword of terrible destruction. Is this the form you choose?"_

He nodded, and the sword faded, flowing into his keyblade.

_"Now choose another."_

He went to the platform with the staff and took it.

The voice said, _"The power of the mystic. Inner strength. A staff of wonder and ruin. Is this the form you choose?"_

He nodded, and the staff faded and flowed into his keyblade.

_"You have chosen the power of the warrior and the mystic, and have given up the power of the knight. Is this the form you choose?"_

Sota nodded, and the shield cracked and disappeared.

_"Your path is set,"_ it said, and the platform around him began to quake and shattered into pieces, throwing him into the darkness. He felt himself falling again, and another platform came into view. This one had a teenage girl with long black hair and a school uniform, a white shirt with a green dress. On the border were the pictures of glowing pink jewels, and in circles around her was a young man with long white hair and dog ears, a young man with dark brown hair in a monk outfit, a young woman with light brown hair in a demon slayer outfit, a small boy with light brown/orangish hair, a fox tail, and fox ears, and a priestess with black hair.

_"You have gained the power to fight. You must use this power to protect yourself and others."_

He nodded in acknowledgement and stepped forward. Suddenly shadows on the platform began to move and take form. Three shadows emerged and began to inch closer.

_"There will be times you have to fight. Keep your light burning strong."_

They suddenly attacked. Sota dodged the swipe of the first one and rolled to the side as the other two came by. He swung his keyblade around and slashed through two of them, causing them to fade away. The third launched itself into the air at him. He jumped up and swiped his sword upword, cutting it in two. Darkness began to spread and envelop the platform, and he was dragged into it.

Sota wasn't sure if he had fallen unconscious or not, but he suddenly awoke with a start on a new platform. This one had a beautiful princess with long black hair and blue eyes. On the border were snowflakes, and in circles around her were a young blonde boy, a young girl with pink hair, a raven-haired boy, a silver-haired man with a mask covering the lower half of his face, and an elderly man with a ponytail and glasses.

_"You will meet friends in unexpected people, and find enemies all around. Darkness spreads through deception, and You must learn to use the Sight."_

"The Sight?" Sota asked. The image of a shadowy figure flying at him and attacking suddenly flashed through his mind.

"Wha-"

The shadow of a figure appeared in the middle of the platform, and held in its hands a shadow in the shape of a scythe. It flew at him and sliced, but Sota jumped out of the way.

"No way...I saw that ahead of time..."

The shadow vanished, and Sota looked around.

"What was that? Was that the Sight?" he asked.

_"Step forward to find the answers you seek. But know this: once you step forward, there can be no returning to the safety of your peaceful life. Will you still go?"_

At the end of the platform stairs suddenly appeared.

"No going back," he said with a nod. He ran up the stairs towards the next platform, the stairs fading away behind him. The final platform had a young black haired woman in a Japanese outift, with her hair done with a ribbon in the back. On the border were swords, and in circles around her were a young man with deep red hair and a scar on his left cheek wearing a pink Japanese shirt, a young boy with short spiky black hair, a young man with brown hair wearing a red headband and in white, with bandages around his chest, and a woman with black hair in a kimono, and a young woman in a ninja outfit with dark hair tied in a braid behind her.

_"The closer you get to the light, the greater your shadow becomes."_

He turned to see his shadow become 3D. It suddenly grew and formed into a Darkside Heartless. He took a step back, when the voice spoke again.

"_Just remember, no matter how great the darkness may seem, your light can never be blotted out._"

The Darkside took a step forward, it venomous yellow eyes staring at him.

"_Just remember_," said the voice.

Then it attacked. It brought its fist down on the platform with a crash and created a dark pool out if which Shadow Heatless came forth. Tyson slashed at Darkside's arm while avoiding the attacks of the other Heartless. He managed to jump on its arm and run up to its head where he bashed it repeatedly. The Darkside grabbed him and threw him across the platform.

"That didn't work," Sota mumbled sourly.

**"You're not going to give up that easily, are you?"** he heard an unfamiliar male voice say. It sounded like it was right next to him, yet far away at the same time.

The Darkside reared up and brought down its fist to the platform. Sota dodged out of the way and slashed at its wrist.

_"You have great inner power. Magic is strong in you."_

Sota felt something unfamiliar well up in him, and he aimed his keyblade at the Heartless.

"Fire!" he called. A ball of fire formed at the end of her staff and shot at its head. It connected, causing it to stumble back. He didn't see when it brought across its other hand and swiped at him, knocking him across the platform. He rubbed his head when he heard another voice.

**"C'mon, you're better than that, right?"** the voice said, female this time. This one sounded very close as well, but at the same time farther than the first.

"Again?" he wondered. He suddenly rolled to the side as Darkside's fist crashed into the ground next to him. He jumped onto its arm and ran up it towards the cavity where it's heart would be. It began to fire off dark energy from its center that homed in on Sota.

"Reflect!" he called, forming a shield that knocked away the blasts.

**"You are the Keybearer, right? If anyone can do it, it's you,"** another voice said. This one was male, but with a slight accent and sounded the farthest away.

He jumped off Darkside's arm and stabbed Brave Soul into its heart cavity. It reared back in pain, and he fell backwards and landed on the platform. It groaned and crashed to the ground. It sank to the ground and dissipated, but left behind a pool of darkness which spread throughout the whole platform. Sota tried to stand, but the darkness began to claw its way up him.

_"Don't let the darkness take hold of you. Hold fast to the light. Just remember, you hold the mightiest weapon of all..."_

Sota's heart began to glow, and the darkness faded away in the light. Sota squinted his eyes, but the light was too bright.

"Ugh...someone turn off that light," he complained.

"Oh, you're awake!" Reyna said.

* * *

**Nightshroud:** Good first chapter? Hope so. This story is going to deal with anime worlds instead of Disney, but will have some original worlds and Final Fantasty characters. Anyway, if anyone can guess the four animes represented by the platforms and the four women that they're centered around, I'll let you create add an original world to the story, add a villain to the main bad guy group, or add an OC (they can be bad, but not part of the main bad guys, or good). Well, review and show some love! 8D

Next chapter: **Intruder**


	2. Intruder

**Chapter II: Intruder**

* * *

**Nightshroud:** Well I'm glad you made it over, Mr. Fipp and Sakura the Cherry Alchemist. I hope Lauracroft55 will get to read soon. Anyway, that was very impressive, Mr. Fipp. If no one does better in the next few chapters at guessing, then I shall give you the reward. Oh, and on another note, I have a friend drawing the main characters of the story for me. I should have those up in a week or two. I'll let you know. In case you don't know what Sota looks like, he has light brown hair. It's short and straight, and his bangs come down close to his eyes. As of now he's wearing his school uniform, which is a white dress shirt, striped blue and white tie, a blue school jacket, and blue school pants. Well, let's move on then!

* * *

"Oh, you're awake!" Reyna said. Sota blinked and stared at her for a minute.

"Where am I?" he finally asked.

"At home," Reyna replied, handing him a glass of water. "You passed out on the beach. Did something happen?"

"No," he lied, shifting uncomfortably. "I just remember getting up to leave, and the rest is a blank."

Reyna sighed and got up from the chair next to his bed. "Well, mom and dad will want to know you're awake."

She got up and walked out, and Sota listened to her feet trailing down the stairs. He sighed and laid back on the pillow.

_"Was that all a dream? But it seemed so real..."_

* * *

All right, I'll see you after school!" Sota yelled back as he ran out the front door.

"Have a good day!" Kairi called after him. Reyna sighed as she watched him go. Sora and Kairi didn't seem to think anything of it, but she had a feeling she'd need to have a little talk with Sota later.

* * *

Sota tossed his bookback in the boat as he paddled toward the play island. It was starting to get dark, so he'd have to hurry if he wanted to get back home before he was grounded for life. After a few minutes row he finally made it to the island. He jumped out and tied the boat, then ran toward the Secret Place.

_"This is where dad, mom, and Uncle Riku where when they left the islands. And also where Reyna, Tyson, Nam, and Kai left pn their adventure. So maybe I can find a way off here too."_

Sota walked around the beack but didn't find anything. Then he suddenly gasped.

"The Keyhole!"

He quickly ran to the Secret Place, stooping his head as he made his way down the small tunnel. When he came into the cave he saw the door at the far end. He walked over to it and laid a hand on the wooden surface.

_"Maybe this will be my way off here!_" he thought excitedly. He searched it for a keyhole, but couldn't find one anywhere.

_"Oh yeah, Reyna sealed the keyhole after Amnael was defeated."_

He growled with frustration and punched the door.

"Darn it!"

He sighed and hung his head.

_"I guess I should be heading home. I'm so screwed..."_

He left the Secret Place and walked toward the dock when something flashed through his mind. He quickly turned and looked to see a strange black portal open on the beach and a figure step out. He was wearing a pair of dark, flared jodhpurs (jodhpurs are tight-fitting trousers that reach to the ankle, where they end in a snug cuff) tucked into black boots and a cassock-style shirt with gold griffins on the side and a white turtleneck shirt underneath (giving it the appearance of a clerical collar). He was wearing a white mask with narrow slits for eyeholes and black swirls on it. He had dark brown hair in a long braid reaching down to his thighs. He looked around and scratched his head.

"Huh...this doesn't look right."

"Hey, who are you?" asked Sota. The stranger was startled and stared at him.

"What the- this can't be right. This isn't what it's supposed to look like at all."

"Hey, I asked who you are!" Sota yelled. The stranger, who Sota figured to be in his early twenties, sighed.

"Get lost, kid. I don't have time for you."

"Make me," Sota said, summoning Brave Soul. The man seemed surprised.

"A keyblader? Hell, I'm way off. Well no permanent damage done as long as I get rid of him."

He summoned a gleaming scythe into his hand to make a point.

"Go ahead and try!" Sota said, jumping from the dock and running at him.

"It's your funeral kid!" the man said, hurling his scythe at him. Sota dodged to the side when he saw the man fly past him and grab the scythe in midair. He swung it at Sota's head, but Sota leaped clean over it and hurled his keyblade at the man, nailing him in the right shoulder. The man staggered back and grabbed his shoulder.

"Damn. I shouldn't have been so careless."

Sota held his keyblade and watched for the man to make a move.

"Wind Sickles!" he called swinging his scythe to unleash multiple sickle-shaped wind blades at Sota. Sota jumped and dodged them in midair.

"Fire!" he called, launching the fire spell in midair. The stranger jumped back to avoid the attack and opened a dark portal behind him.

"I can't waste my time here. I have a job to do."

He desummoned his scythe and jumped through the portal. Sota quickly ran and dived into the portal without thinking before it closed behind him.

* * *

"Hey, Sora, has Sota come home yet?" Kairi asked from the kitchen.

"I didn't see him come in," said Sora said. "Anything?" he asked to Reyna. She watched from the window sadly.

_"It's too late, isn't it?"_

* * *

_"In retrospect, that probably wasn't a good idea,"_ Sota sighed. He was stumbling through the dark corrider after someone he had no idea about without even stopping to think. He eventually felt himself stumble out of the darkness and land on something hard. He groaned and looked around. It still seemed to be night, but he didn't recognize anything around him. He seemed to be in a town of some sort, with Victorian style buildings all around.

"You look lost," said a voice. Sota thought he recognized it, but looked up to see another stranger. He was tanned and had short black hair. He looked to be about seventeen and had the beginnings of a beard on his chin. He was wearing a black pants with black boots and a black shirt with a little bit of a collar around the side and back but V shaped in the front, exposing a bit of his chest. The shirt was sleeveless on the left side, showing a tatoo on his upper arm, and he had a black fingerless glove on that hand. On the right side was a sleeve coming down to his elbow, and bandages wrapped around his hand and a bit of his arm, leaivng his fingers exposed.

"Who are you?" Sota asked. The guy smiled a bit deviously.

"The name's Jax."

* * *

**Nightshroud:** Good chapter? Hope so. Yay it's Jax! I have my friend Lydia drawing him for me. As far as his appearance, he looks similar to Rai from KH2. He's my favorite character in the whole story! I'll try to get his picture up ASAP. I'll let you know when it's up. Anyway, I won't be updating though till I finish up Angel of Heart, but that shouldn't be too long. Well review and let me know how you like it! 8D

Next chapter: **Troublemaker: The Amazing Jax!**


	3. Troublemaker: The Amazing Jax!

**Chapter III: Troublemaker: The Amazing Jax!**

* * *

**Nightshroud:** Well the gang's all here now. And I must say, I am very impressed. Congratulations, Lauracroft55, you got every anime platform right! (applause) So you can add an original world to the story, add a villain to the main bad guy group, or add an OC (they can be bad, but not part of the main bad guys, or good). Make sure to include any descriptions or personality that you want them to have. But since you got almost all the princesses, Mr. Fipp, I'll let you choose a character from Angel of Heart that you'd like to reappear in this story (whether good or bad, except Amnael). Okie dokie then. Let's move on!

* * *

"The name's Jax," he said, smiling somewhat deviously. Sota shifted slightly, a little nervous about this guy. He may have been only two years older than him, but he could tell this guy was definitely stronger. And that smile made him uneasy.

"So I can tell you're new to this place. We're in the First District of Traverse Town."

"Traverse Town?" Sota asked.

"That's right," Jax said. Sota took a step forward.

"Do you know where I can find someone to answer some questions for me? Like, traveling to other worlds and stuff?" Sota asked.

"Sure, that old goat Merlin should know. He's through that gate in the Third District."

"Thanks," Sota said, walking over toward the gate. But when Sota tried to pass by him, he suddenly saw a flash, and Jax's large black buster sword was mere centimeters from his throat.

"Now hold on, I never said you could get by for free."

"Wh-what?" Sota managed to stammer.

"In other words, give me all your munny."

Sota blinked and pulled out his pockets.

"I don't have any money."

Jax blinked, then slapped his hand against his face.

"Ugh, of all the people I had to pick the broke kid to extort."

Jax lowered his sword and started to walk away.

"Fine, just get lost. You're not worth anything to me."

"Hold on!" said Sota. Jax turned around and looked at him with boredom.

"What do you want?" he asked.

"You can't try to rob me and then just walk away," Sota said, summoning his keyblade. Jax grinned and got into battle stance.

"If you're looking for a fight, then you just found one!"

Jax gripped his sword and in a flash was in front of Sota. He grinned and swung his sword at Sota's head, but Sota ducked down in time to avoid it. But while he was down Jax turned and kicked him full in the face, throwing him backward. Sota got up and wiped his mouth, eyeing Jax.

"Lucky hit," Sota said. Jax laughed, and moved quickly in front of Sota. He swung his sword down at Sota, who had barely enough time to move out of the way before Jax's sword cracked the pavement where he once stood. Jax looked up to see Spta standing on top of the lampost above him in the middle of the square. Jax stuck his sword in the ground and crossed his arms.

"Coming down?" he asked. Sota simply smirked and held his keyblade out.

"Fire!"

He shot a fireball from the tip of his keyblade straight at a surprised Jax.

"He can use spells, too?"

As the fireball got close, Jax suddenly grinned, causing Sota to feel uneasy.

"Aero!"

Jax cast a wind barrier around himself just in time, throwing the fireball off to the side.

"Nice try, kid. I'll give you that."

Sota looked up to see Jax in midair in front of him.

"But not good enough!"

He kicked him off the lampost and jumped after him. As Sota was falling he punched him in the stomach, knocking him into the ground.

"This guy..." Sota moaned as he forced himself up. Jax laughed and started to turn around.

"Not even worth my time."

"Don't turn your back on me!" Sota shouted. Jax turned to see the keyblade flying through the air at him. He brought up his Buster Sword in time to block, but as it was knocked back, Sota ran and caught it out of the air and jumped over Jax.

"What the-"

Sota swiped at his unprotected back, knocking him back off the steps, though Jax was able to gain his balance in time to avoid a clumsy fall. He turned in time to block a fire spell cast by Sota.

"That was unexpected..." Jax muttered. Sota looked more confident now, sure that he could take this guy down now.

"All right, kid, you're starting to bug me."

Jax jumped into the air and threw his sword at Sota, who jumped back in time as the blade jammed into the ground. As he was sliding back, Jax appeared in front of him and smirked.

"Air Hammer!"

Jax threw his fist forward, which glowed a faint white-blue. Even though his fist didn't make contact, Sota felt like he was being hit by powerful punches as strong as hits with a hammer all over his body. He fell back on the ground, gasping for breath. He looked up, and could see his vision was blurring.

"You're not going to give up that easily, are you?" he heard Jax say. Suddenly his eyes widened.

**"You're not going to give up that easily, are you?"**

The voice from the Station of Serenity! It was his!

"It was...you..." Sota said before passing out. Jax watched him for a moment, then walked over and looked at Sota's Brave Soul.

"So he's got one too, huh?"

As he picked it up, he suddenly saw in his mind an image as himself and Sota standing together saying something he couldn't here. Then they hit their knuckles together like old friends. The keyblade in Jax's hand suddenly faded away and returned to its place in Sota's hand.

"Hmm..." Jax thought, looking at Sota intently.

"He followed you?" a woman asked the stranger who Sota had followed from the Destiny Islands. She had long red hair that reached to her mid-back, and a white mask with red designs around the eyeholes. She was wearing a black berett with a gold cross pendant hanging down from it. She wore a black leather outfit like a one-piece bathing suit and had fishnets on her arms and legs with high black boots. Around her neck was a black choker with a lock hanging in the front.

"Hey, I was kinda in a rush," the man said, shrugging. "I didn't think he'd actually follow me through the corridor of darkness."

"Vesper, that was careless of you," the woman said. "If _she_ finds out, you could be in a lot of trouble."

"Don't worry your pretty little head off," he said with a wink.

"Just don't do anything stupid. We have to look out for each other. I don't trust the others as far as I can throw them."

"It'll be okay, Lia. C'mon, the kid should be preoccupied enough in Traverse Town for us to get ahead start."

"Right."

* * *

"Good gracious!" Merlin cried as Jax barged through the door of his house and dropped Sota on his table."

"All right, old man, wake this kid up. I have some questions for him."

"What were you up to know, Jax?" Merlin asked. Jax crossed his arms and glared.

"Look, I didn't come for an interrogation. Just wake him up."

Merlin huffed to himself and looked at Sota.

"Well, I think a cure spell should do the trick."

He pulled his sleeves up and prepared to cast the spell.

"Any day..." Jax sighed. Merlin shot him a glare, then turned back to Sota.

"Curaga!"

Sota eyes opened and he sat up completely refreshed. He looked up and spied Jax.

"Hey, I remember you! You were in my dream!"

Jax blinked in surprise, then looked at Merlin.

"Well, it seems as though you have acquired a keyblade," said Merlin, inspecting it.

"Uh, yeah. It's called Brave Soul," Sota explained.

"Oh," said Merlin, stepping back. "Perhaps you could tell me everything?"

Sota explained his awakening at the Station of Serenity and how he had gotten off the islands.

"I see," said Merlin, listening thoughtfully.

"So where do I fit in?" asked Jax. "When I grabbed his keyblade I saw the two of us standing together somewhere acting like good friends or something."

"It seems as though you are chosen to accompany him," said Merlin, adjusting his glasses.

"Accompany him?! Where?!" Jax exclaimed.

"On his journey, of course."

"Journey?" Sota asked.

"Of course. I've been waiting for the new keyblade master to arrive so I could give him this."

He handed Sota a warp gummi.

"I have been researching, along with Leon and the others, a universe parallel to ours. One with princesses of heart and a door to Kingdom Hearts just like this universe! I believe you have been sent to save it. And so I entrust you with that. It is the only way to pass through into the other dimension."

"R-right..." Sota said, trying to absorb all this sudden information.

"Hey, old man, did you forget that he doesn't have a gummi ship to use it on?"

"Oh that's right!" said Merlin blinking in surprise. Jax rolled his eyes and mumbled to himself.

"Here, just take the one I used to get here. I'll just contact Cid to pick me up later."

Sota took the keys to Merlin's gummi ship and thanked him.

"Not so fast, young man. Maybe I can help you with your magic a little. I think you could use some practice."

Merlin led him to a platform, and the two started to ascend into the roof.

"What about me?" Jax asked.

"No, you're too stupid to learn these."

A vein bulged on Jax's forehead as they disappeared from sight.

"I swear I'll kill that old geezer."

* * *

Sota and Merlin came down later to find Jax snoring in Merlin's chair.

"It's about time," he said when Sota woke him up. "I was beginning to think the old fossil died and left you standed up there."

Merlin growled and looked for the nearest blunt object, but Sota snatched the globe from his hands as he prepared to swing it.

"Okay well we should probably get going," Sota said nervously, pushing Jax toward the exit. "Thanks again, Merlin!"

"Oh and take this with you," he said, handing Sota a charm. "It's the Fireglow Charm. It could come in handy."

Sota thanked him again and found Jax waiting in the Third Distict.

"Let's just go before I change my mind," he said gruffly.

"Chill out," Sota said, "We'll have fun with this, I think."

"Sure, as long as I get to go other places. I'm getting tired of this place. Besides, you could use someone amazing like me on your team," he said, throwing himself into the passenger seat.

"Heh, I'm sure I can," Sota said as they took off.

"Umm..do you know how to work one of these things...?" Jax asked as they disappeared from sight.

**Nightshroud:** I'm just going to point out that Vesper is the one guy's name, but Lia is not her name. It's her nickname, and it is the last part of her name, but not all of it. I will let you know that there are seven main bad guys. Two leaders, and the five underlings. Each of th underlings has a different characteristic: The joker, the psycho, the egotist, the coward, and the biotch. Try to figure out who's who as the story goes along. Well, I hope you liked the chapter. So yes, Jax is joining the party permanently. And in the next chapter they start on their first world. Well review and let me know how you liked it! 8D And don't forget to let me know what you choose, Lauracroft55 and Mr Fipp.

Next chapter: **The Siege of the North**


	4. Siege of the North

**Chapter IV: Siege of the North**

* * *

**Nightshroud:** That's a good choice, Mr. Fipp. Very well, I'll see where I can fit him in. On that note, I hope you did your homework, Lauracroft55. 8D I look forward to your choice. Well on with the next chapter!

* * *

A boy and girl stood facing each other. The boy pulled up the water around him and formed it into a snowball, hurling it at the girl. The girl bended it in midair and turned it back into water, throwing it back at the boy. The water knocked him into the air, then froze around him, trapping him up there.

"Nice try, Pupil Sangok. In a couple more years you may be ready to fight a sea sponge."

Master Pakku then turned the ice back to water, dropping the boy to the ground.

"Anyone care for a rematch with Katara?" he asked, surveying the groaning boys all laying on the ground. None of them seemed eager for that.

"Katara, you've advanced more quickly than any student I've ever trained. You have proven that with fierce determination, passion, and hard work, you can accomplish anything. Raw talent alone is not enough," Master Pakku said, looking over at a boy twirling the air around in a ball, keeping a lemur suspended in the air.

"Pupil Aang!" he called. Aang sat up straight, causing the air to dispurse and the lemur to drop onto his head.

"Yes, Master Pakku?"

"Care to step into the sparring circle? I figure since you have enough time to play with house pets, you must have already mastered waterbending."

"I wouldn't say mastered," he said, using the wind to propell him into a standing position. "But check this out!"

He bended the snow and pulled it onto him, forming him into a snowman, which the lemur eagerly tackled to the ground. Master Pakku and Katara stared, and Master Pakku shook his head with a sigh. Suddenly they heard a sound from above and looked up to see something sparkle in the sun, then crash into the fountain in the courtyard.

"What was that?" Katara asked.

"I don't know," Master Pakku replied. He got into his waterbending stance and watched the strange vessel. "Keep on guard. It might be from the Fire Nation."

They heard a mechanical noise, and two bodies fell into the fountain with a great splash. Suddenly two heads popped up.

"Nice going, Sota! I thought you said you'd flown a gummi ship before."

"I have! Well, in my dreams anyway."

"Yeah? We'll that'll be the only time you'll do it from now on," Jax said, dunking Sota's head under the water.

"What was that for? It's freezing!" Sota complained.

"Who are you?" Master Pakku demanded. The two looked surprised when they noticed they had fallen into a courtyard and several people were watching them wide-eyed.

"Oh, uh..." Jax began.

"We were testing out our..new invention!" Sota lied.

"New invention? Are you Fire Nation?" Katara asked. Jax blinked when he saw the girl next to the old man. He jumped out of the fountain and put on his most charming smile.

"Well, hello there," he said, kissing her hand. Katara blushed, then bended the water with her free hand and spashed him in the face, knocking him to the ground. Sota sweatdropped and helped him up.

"So are you Fire Nation?" Aang asked.

"What's the Fire Nation?" Sota asked.

"Oh come on? Everyone in the world knows about the Fire Nation!" Katara said. "They must be spies."

"Well, sweetheart, what if we told you were not from this world?" Jax asked.

"Not from this world?" Aang asked. "Oh, are you from the Spirit World?"

"Umm sure...we'll go with that one," Sota said. He suddenly saw black particles raining from the sky. He put his hand and let the particles gather.

"What is this?" he asked.

"Soot..." Katara said. "It's the Fire Nation!"

"How do you know?" Jax asked.

"This is what happened before the Fire Nation attacked the South Pole. They've closed in on the North Pole."

* * *

"This will be one for the history books, General Iroh," a man said standing at the top of a tower on the ship leading the Fire Nation ships.

"Just think, centuries from now people will study the great Admiral Zhao who destroyed the last of the water Tribe civilizations." He switched his glance to look at the old man next to him. "You're lucky to see it."

"Be careful what you wish for, Admiral. History is not always kind to its subjects."

"I suppose you speak from experience," Zhao sneered to Iroh. "But rest assured, this will be nothing like your legendary failure at Ba Singh Se."

Zhao walked over to the balcony, and Iroh said softly, "I hope not, for your sake."

"Tell the captain to prepare for first strike," Zhao ordered. Iroh walked away, and a portal suddenly opened behind Zhao.

"So I find this keyhole for you, and you give me control of the Heartless?" Zhao asked.

"That's right," the figure said. He had long straight black hair and a white mask with pink marks on it. He had a Japanese black kimono with a long white vest and a white scarf.

"Just see that you uphold your end of the bargain. The Heartless have a tendency to feed off of those who use them unwisely."

Zhao growled as the man stepped back into portal, leaving him to his thoughts of glorious conquest.

* * *

Iroh walked down the halls of the ship till he reached a soldier standing there.

"We'll be landing soon. Do you have a plan?" he asked. The soldier pulled down his mask to reveal a teenage boy with a scar on his left eye.

"I'm working on it, uncle," Zuko said, replacing his mask. The two walked away cautiously without exchanging any more words.

* * *

The Water Tribe sounded their drums, alarming the people of the approaching army.

"C'mon, Yue," Sokka said, pulling her up t he stairs.

"Sokka, wait," she said. Sokkat turned around confused.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"I can't see you anymore. Not at all."

"But why? We're just friends."

"I wish we could just be friends. But I like you too much, and it's too confusing to be around you. I'm marrying someone else!"

She turned away sadly, and Sokka sighed.

"You don't love him, do you? You don't even seem to like him."

"But I do love my people."

"You're not marrying your people!"

"You don't understand," she said, turning around. "I have duties to my father, to my tribe. I have to do this. Goodbye," she said, running up the steps.

* * *

The chief of the Northern Watern Tribe gathered all the people into the palace audience room.

"The day we have feared for so long has finally come. The Fire Nation is at our doorstep. It is with great sadness that I call my family before me, knowing well that some of these faces are about to vanish from our tribe."

Aang, Sokka, Katara, Sota, and Jax sat among the people, listening intently.

"But they will never vanish from our hearts. Now, as we approach the battle for our existence I call upon the great spirits. Spirit of the Ocean! Spirit of the Moon! Be with us!"

"I'll need volunteers for a dangerous mission."

"Count me in!" said Sokka, standing.

"Sokka?" Katara said, looking up at him.

"Maybe with her brother gone, I can get some alone time with Katara," JKax whispered to Sota. Sota rolled his eyes and tried to listen.

"Be warned. Many of you will not return. Come forward to recieve my mark if you accept the task."

Sokka walked forward and the Chief placed the water mark on his foreahead in red ink. Sokka walked over to the side and glanced sadly at Yue. He turned away, and Yue bit her lip and closed her eyes, the tears still managing to run down her cheek.

Once the people had left, Aang and Katara brought Sota and Jax up to the chief.

"We found these two after they crash in the fountain in a strange machine," Katara explained.

"Are they from the Fire Nation?" the chief asked suspiciously.

"No no! We're not! Honestly!" Sota said.

"Actually we've come from another world to see the keyhole here."

"Keyhole?" the chief asked. "I don't know anything about a keyhole. You're free to look around though."

"But first, I think we need to find out if they really aren't firebenders," Pakku said. In a flash he bended water into sharp icicles and threw them at Jax and Sota. Jax pulled Sota behind him and held his hand out.

"Reflect!"

The icicles bounced off the shield and flew back at Pakku, who melted them before they hit.

"How did they do that?"Aang wondered.

"We have powers beyond your comprehension," Jax said, trying to impress them.

"Like what?" Katara asked, skeptical.

"Trying throwing something at me," he said. Katara bended water into a large hardened iceball and threw it at him. Jax jumped at it and threw a punch.

"Air Hammer!"

The ice ball exploded from the numerous hits all over its surface. Jax dropped in front of Katara and grinned.

"What do you think, Aang?" the chief asked.

"Well, I think they're telling the truth," he said.

"Maybe they can help us fight the Fire Nation. They look like they'd be capable fighters," Master Pakku said.

"Sure," Sota said. Jax's eyes widened and he quickly grabbed Sota and whispered in his ear.

"Are you nuts?"

"Well, it gives us more time to look for the keyhole, right?" Sota reasoned. Jax sighed. He did have to agree with that. Plus it gave him more time with Katara...

"All right, we'll help," Jax said.

* * *

Aang, Katara, Sokka, Sota, and Jax, along with some other water tribe warriors, stood on the wall waiting for sight of the Fire Nation ships. They all watched intently till Aang suddenly leaned forward.

"What is it?" said Sota. Aang suddenly gasped as the object he saw turned out to be a large fireball, which collided with gate and threw them all off. Another fireball whizzed over them and landed in one of the many water canals through the city.

Aang climbed onto Aapa, and took off toward the Fire Nation ships.

"Katara!" Sokka called. Jax heard something underneath the snow by him and helped pull her out.

"You okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine," she said before running over to join Sokka.

* * *

Meanwhile more fireballs were launched from the catapults on the Fire Nation ships. Aang stood on Aapa and managed to destroy some in the air with his staff.

"I'll take it from here, boy," he said to Aapa. He jumped off and landed on the deck, swinging his staff to unleash a wave of air that knocked them all over. Aang ran over and jumped onto the catapult. A large man with a hammer swung at him, but he jumped back in time to avoid it. Two men climbed to the top and swung at Aang, but he jumped out of the way and they hit the catapult, causing it to collapse. He jumped over to the next one and broke part of its mechanicism so that it launched the fireball straight down through its hull. After taking out the catapults, Aapa landed on the deck, knocking over some men before helping Aang escape as water benders in canoes camp alongside the ship and froze it in ice.

Aang smiled as he looked down at the ship they managed to destroy. But when he looked up, he saw dozens and dozens more.

"You've got to be kidding me!" he said, his face dropping.

* * *

Master Pakku and the other water benders worked to use the water to stop the fireballs from wrecking the city.

Zhao watched from his ship with interest until Iroh approached.

"It is almost twilight, Admiral. As your military consultant I must advise you to halt your attack. Waterbenders draw their power from the moon, and it is nearly full tonight. You should wait, and resume the attack at daybreak."

"Oh, I am well aware of the moon problem, and I am working on a solution. But for now, daybreak it is."

The Fire Nation ships dropped their anchors and halted their progress just enough distance from the gate to feel safe.

"They've stopped firing," Sota said.

"Aang!" Katara called as Aapa landed near them. They all ran over as Aang slid off.

"I can't do it. I can't do it," he moaned, clutching his head.

"What happened?" Katara asked.

"I must have taken out a dozen Fire Navy ships, but there are just too many of them. I can't fight them all."

"But you have to," Yue said. "You're the Avatar!"

"I'm just one kid," Aang said, burying his face in his arms.

* * *

Iroh watched sadly as Zuko lowered himself in his small boat down to the water. He quietly moved towards the city, planning to catch the Avatar.

"Be careful, Zuko."

"I know, Uncle."

Zuko paddled his boat toward the gate, careful to avoid being spotted by the waterbenders keeping watch. Zuko noticed some penguins diving through a hole in the ice and disappeaing from sight.

_"We're are they going? They have to come up for air somewhere."_

He stood at the hole, then after a moment's more though dived in after them.

* * *

"Sokka, what are you doing?" the chief asked when he found Sokka and Han, Yue's fiance, wrestling on the ground after an unkind exhange of words. Sokka and Han looked up in shock.

"Sokka, enough. You're off the mission."

Sokka got up and looked away, disappointed.

"Listen up everyone. Just follow me and we'll take down this Admiral Chao in no time," Han said smugly, walking away.

"It's Admiral Zhao!" Sokka hollered after him before crossing his arms and looking away angrily.

* * *

"So, what's with all this talk about the Moon and Ocean Spirits?" Jax asked Yue.

"Our power for bending comes from the Spirirt of the Moon, and our life comes from the Spirit of the Ocean. "

"I've always noticed my bending was stronger at night," Katara added thoughtfully.

"The two Spirits work together to keep balance," Yue finished.

"The Spirits! Maybe I can find them and get their help!" Aang said with a start.

"How can you do that?" Sota asked.

"The Avatar is the bridge between our world and the Spirit World," Katara explained. "Aang can talk to them!"

"Maybe they can give you the wisdom to win this battle," Yue said hopefully.

"Or maybe they'll unleash a crazy amazing spirirt attack on the Fire Nation!" Aang yelled enthusiastically.

The others just stared at him, till Aang added sheepishly.

"Or wisdom. That's good too."

"Between you and me, I like that idea better," Jax mumbled to him. Katara sighed.

"The only problem is we don't know how to get you to the Spirirt World," she said. Yue's eyes sparkled.

"I have an idea. Follow me."

* * *

**Nightshroud:** Good chapter? Hope so. Very long too for your reading pleasure. In case you didn't know, this world is Avatar the Last Airbender. Technically it's not an anime since it's from America, but it's listed with most animes (plus I love it) so I decided to include it. Well review and let me know how you liked it. Oh, any thoughts on where the keyhole is? I will tell you that it's in the North Pole somewhere. Oh yeah, and we see another villain appear! And we know that Zhao will be using the Heartless in the upcoming battle. Hehe should be good!

Next chapter: **Gateway to the Spririt World**


	5. Gateway to the Spirit World

**Chapter V: Gateway to the Spirit World**

* * *

**Nightshroud:** Well I guess the last chapter was a little choppy, but I was trying to follow closely to the episode, so it kinda turned into a cram session. Oddly enough this chapter ends up being the last few minutes of the episode the last chapter was based on, but ends up forming a chapter of its own. Go figure! But anyway, I hope you're all enjoying it so far. Well, on we go!

* * *

Yue led them down a path to a wall where a small round door was located at the bottom.

"Is this the gateway to the Spririt World?" Aang asked. Yue laughed.

"No, you'll have to get there on your own. But I can take you to the most spiritual place in the entire North Pole."

She opened the door and they stooped to walk through. They saw a large lake with a small green island with beautiful plants and bushes growing on it in the middle of it. They crossed a bridge and made it over. They stopped in front of a small pond where two fish were swimming, one black with a white spot on its head and one white with a black spot on its head. Momo reached the pond and attempted to fish one out, but evil glares from the girls sent him scurrying away.

"You're right, Yue. I can feel it here. It's so..."

"Tranquil," Sota finished. He was feeling a connection to this place as well. Aang nodded and sat down in front of the lake and tried to concentrate.

* * *

Zuko gasped and stumbled out of the pond after the seals. He tried to breath some fire to warm himself down and stop his shivering. He brushed past the annoying seals and saw a spring coming out of the wall. He set his foot into the wall and climbed up till he reached it and forced his way up. After swimming up it he found that it connected to an underground lake. He swam to the top and got more air, then dived back down and found another tunnel. He saw the surface and swam up. He foun dhis way blocked by ice though. Running out of oxygen, he pressed his palms against the surface and heated them up till the ice was soft enough to break through. He shot up and gasped for air resting for air inside a pipe inside the North Pole.

He had made it.

* * *

Sokka angrily sharpened his boomerang in the barracks.

"Sokka, is something wrong?" the chief asked.

"Oh no. Han's leading the top secret mission and I'm here sharpening my boomerang."

"Sokka, I took you off the mission because I have a more important one for you. I want you to protect my daughter, Yue."

* * *

Aang tried to meditate, but he couldn't manage to concentarte.

"Why's he sitting like that?" Jax asked.

"He's meditating," Katara explained. "He needs all of his concentration to cross over."

"Is there anything we can do to help?" Sota asked.

"How about some quiet!" Aang said with frustration. The others fell silent. Aang sighed and watched the fish swimming in the water. He wasn't sure if it was a trick of his eyes, but the two seemed to swim together and form a yin yang. His arrow on his head and his eyes suddenly glowed white.

"Is he okay?" Yue asked.

"He's crossing over into the Spirit World. He'll be fine as long as we don't move his body. That's his way back to the physical world."

Sota walked over and tapped Aang with his keyblade.

"Hey, Aang?"

Suddenly his keyblade pointed at Aang's heart, and his eyes flashed white. His body fell over next to Aang's in a slump.

"Oh great," Jax said, slapping his face with his hand.

"Maybe we should get some help," Yue offered.

"No, I'm his friend. I perfectly capable of protecting him," Katara said confidently.

"Besides, she's got me," Jax cooed in her ear.

"Oh, aren't you a big girl now," they heard a voice say. Katara looked over and gasped.

"No!"

"Yes," Zuko said. "Hand him over and I won't have to hurt you."

Yue ran, and Jax stood in front of Katara.

"You won't hurt her as long as I'm here," he said. Katara blushed.

_"Maybe he's not so bad..."_

Jax turned his head and winked at her.

"You can thank me for this later."

Katara sweatdropped. _"Then again..."_

"Enough!" Zuko said, shooting a fireball at him.

"Terra Shield!"

Jax put his hands together, and the earth in front of him lifted up in front of him like a wall. The Jax kicked against the wall, sending off a shower of rocks at Zuko. While he was distracted, Katara ran around the remained of the shield and bended the water nearby into a whip and knocked Zuko back into the water neaby. Then she bended the water in a giant hand and lifted it up so that Zuko was suspended in the air. Zuko struggled, but couldn't free himself.

"Are you working with Zhao?" Katara asked. Zuko grinded his teeth and shot a blast of fire at Katara. Jax pushed her back and held up his sword to block the fire. Zuko blew fire all around his body and broke the water hand. Jax grabbed his sword and ran at Zuko, swinging at him. Zuko jumped back to avoid it, but Jax responded with a strong kick to his jaw. Zuko recovered in midair and shot a blast of fire at Jax, but Katara bended the water on either side of the island to form a shield in front of Jax. Jax threw his sword at Zuko, but Zuko rolled to the side and shot a powerful fire blast. Jax was surprised when he saw the attack go past him toward Katara.

"Katara!"

She was caught off guard and wouldn't be able to defend herself. Jax moved faster then he ever had before and managed to get in front of Katara in time. The blast hit him straight in the chest, knocking him to the ground.

"Jax!" she said. He winced and tried to stand, but Zuko stepped right on his wound. Jax gasped and passed out.

"You monster!" Katara cried. She hit him with a water attack, but he quickly responded with a shot of fire. She blocked it and hit him from the side with an attack, then bended the water into a wave and threw him into the wall, quickly freezing the water around him. She turned and ran over to Jax and Aang to check on them. Zuko looked up and saw the sun beginning to rise. He felt his bending get stronger, and he easily melted the ice. Katara turned in surprise and saw a blast of fire coming at her. She tried to bend up the water in time, but she only managed to keep herself from getting hit directly, and the blast threw her back into a tree, knocking her unconscious. Zuko smirked, and his eyes drifted over to where the Avatar was laying.

This was it. The moment he'd been waiting for since the day over his banishment.

* * *

With the rising of the sun the Fire Nation ships wasted no time in moving in for the attack. They rammed into the gate and dropped the front spike, allowing it to serve as a ramp for their troops. Fire Nation soldiers rushed the water tribe fighters and the battle began.

"The Water Tribe can try to resist the inevitable, but their city will fall today," Zhao said darkly from his ship.

* * *

Katara suddenly sat up and looked around.

"Aang!"

She saw Jax next to her, unconscious, and bended the water to her hands, using her powers to heal him.

"You all right?" she asked, helping him to sit up."

"Yeah, I'm all right," he said softly, angry that he had lost.

Appa suddenly descended and landed on the little island with Sokka and Yue.

"What happened? Where's Zuko?" Sokka asked as he jumped off.

"He took Aang. He took him right out from under me.

"Where did they go?" Sokka asked quietly. All stood silently, not sure what to do next.

* * *

Zuko trudged through the snow with Aang on his back. The storm was worsening, but he wouldn't let it stop him. He wouldn't let this snow stop him from what he need to do. If he was entirely sensible he would have planned out what to do after he had the Avatar, but thinking ahead wasn't one of his strong points. Determination was, however, and he forced himself onwward into the storm.

* * *

**Nightshroud:** Well I hope everyone liked the chapter. Next chapter we'll be seing what Aang and Sota are up to in the Spirit World. Well review and show the love! 8)

Next chapter: I have to think of a title...sorry.


	6. The Face Stealer

**Chapter VI: The Face Stealer**

* * *

**Nightshroud:** Okay, here we are on another chapter. This world is turning out a lot longer than I had originally expected. But I am enjoying it. Things are going to get very good soon, so make sure to keep reading!

* * *

Sota opened eyes and saw Aang standing a little ways away, talking to a strange monkey meditating. He saw that they were in a dense swamp, with no clear view of the sky. He heard Aang talking to the monkey, and walked over to him.

"Umm excuse me but I really need your help. I'm looking for the moon and ocean spirits," Aang told the monkey.

"Go away," it said without opening its eyes. Sota and Aang looked at each other and stood silently. After a few moments the monkey opened its eyes.

"You're still here," it said more of a statement than a question.

"Yes! I need-" Aang began, but the monkey shut its eyes and began to chant loudly. Suddenly a small ball of light flew by the monkey.

"Perhaps that thing will help you. Chase it!"

Aang ran off after it, and Sota sighed and rushed after him. The monkey shook its head.

"Finally..."

* * *

Aang and Sota ran through the jungle, chasing after the glowing object. It flew up into the air and Aang raced up the surface after it.

"Aang, I don't think that such a good-"

Aang caught it as it flew over a branch, but the branch suddenly disappeared and dropped Aang down into the swampy water below.

"Nice..." Sota said, wiping himself off from the splash. Aang laughed nervously and looked for the light.

"Wait!" he said as it flew off. He looked down and suddenly the water in front of him began to stirr.

"Hello, Aang," it said as an old man came into focus.

"Roku, the Water Tribe is under attack. I need to find the ocean and the moon spirits."

Roku's reflection in the water suddenly emerged from the water and became a person.

"The ocean and the moon are ancient spirits. They crossed over from the spirit world to the mortal world very near the beginning. There is only one spirit I know of that is old enough to remember."

"Who?" Aang asked.

"The spirit's name is Ko. But he is very dangerous. They call him the Face Stealer."

Aang and Sota's faces dropped.

"Oh great," Sota mumbled.

"When you speak with him, you must be very careful to show no emotion at all, not the slightest expression, or he will steal your face."

Aang nodded, and Roku looked over to Sota.

"And why are you hear? You are not a spirit, and you are not the Avatar. How did you come to be here?"

Sota summoned his keyblade and held it out for Roku to see.

"My keyblade brought me here, wherever this is."

"I see. What are you searching for?" Roku asked.

"I am looking for the keyhole of this world," he explained to Roku.

"Oh yeah, you mentioned a keyhole before," Aang said.

"The keyhole has been a secret known to only a few. I remember from one of my past lives as a water bender hearing of it. If you follow Aang on his path, then you will be sure to find it."

"That's it?" Sota asked. Roku nodded gently.

"Then let's get going," Sota said to Aang.

"Right."

* * *

Zuko trudged breathlessly through the snow storm. He suddenly gasped as the ground beneath him began to crack, and he ran as quickly as he could before the ground collapsed behind him. He panted and looked up to see a cave before him.

"Shelter..."

He dragged Aang's body in and set him down on the ground. Even though Aang wasn't in his body, Zuko didn't want to get caught unprepared. He sat with his back to the wall and blew fire onto his hands to warm them up. He looked up at the unconscious Avatar and began to talk.

"I finally have you, but I can't get you home because of this blizzard. There's always something," he said, getting up to walk over to the cave mouth. "Not that you would understand. You're like my sister. Everything always came easy to her. She's a firebending prodigy, and everyone adores her. My father says she was born lucky, and I was lucky to be born."

He sighed and closed his eyes.

"I don't need luck though. I don't want it. I've always had to struggle and fight, and it's made me strong. It's made me who I am.

* * *

Aang and Sota climbed thew side of a huge tree, scaling up its surface until they reached a plateau in its surface. They could see a cave mouth leading into the tree. Both moved forward slowly till a noise startled them.

"Oh, it's just a little monkey," said Aang with a chuckle. The monkey turned suddenly, and both gasped when they saw that it had no face.

"This can't be good," Sota said. Aang breathed in slowly.

"Just relax. Remember what Roku said."

"Show no fear. Show no emotion at all," they said together. They walked together into the opening and down a flight of steps.

"Hello? I'm looking for a spirit called Ko."

Sota suddenly felt a movement behind them in the shadows. A pale face appeared, its red lips curving into a wicked smile. It suddenly leaped over them and stuck its face near theirs.

"Welcome!" it said. They both kept their faces straight.

"Thank you," Aang said, bowing down while Sota followed suit.

"My old friend the Avatar. It's been a long time," it said, moving its monstrous ody around them.

"You know me?" Aang asked.

"How could I forget you," Ko said, changing its face to that of an older man with beard. "One of your previous incarnations tried to slay me around 800 or 900 years ago."

"Old and disgusting..." Sota mumbled.

"I didn't know that," Aang said calmlyas the creature backed away enough to give them breathing space. "Why did he...or I try to kill you?"

Ko changed his face again to that of a raven haired girl. "Oh, it was something about stealing the face of someone he loved."

_"That must have been her,"_ Sota thought. Ko laughed and changed his face to that of a baboon.

"But that's all behind us now," he said, inching his loathsome body around them. "Why should a grudge against you for something that happened in a past life. After all, you've come to me...with a new face."

He placed the pincers around his mouth on Aang and Sota's shoulders. Aang concentrated and eased himnself, but it took all Sota's control to freak out.

"Don't worry," Jax said to Katara as they flew on Appa through the blizzard, "This Zuko guy can't escape in this weather."

"I'm not worried about them getting away. I'm worried that they won't," she said quietly. Jax looked over at Sota's unconscious body next to him and sighed.

"They're not gonna die," Sokka said from Aapa's head. "If I know anything about Zuko, it's that he doesn't give up. They'll survive, and we'll find them."

"I hope so," Yue said softly as they kept flying.

* * *

"It's been a long time since I've added a child's face to my collection," Ko said, encircling the two. "And this time, I have two together. Double the reward. So, how may I help you?"

"I need to find the moon and the ocean," Aang said calmly. Sota gripped his hands as he fought to maintain a straight face and not gag in disgust.

"They're spirit names as Twi and La, Push and Pull. That has been the nature of their relationship for all time."

"Please, help me find them," Aang said. "An entire culture could be destroyed if I don't get their help."

"Ohhh, you think you need their help. Actually, it's quite the other way around. Someone's going to kill them," Ko said, thrusting his face right in front of them.

"What do you mean? How can I find them and protect them?" Aang asked calmly. Ko backed away and changed his face back to his original.

"You've already met them, actually. Twi and La, your moon and ocean, have always circle each other in an eternal dance. They balance each other, push and pull, life and death, good and evil, yin and yang."

Aang's eyes widened as he remembered the fish in the pond at the North Pole that had formed a yin yang before he crossed over.

"The fish!" he said with a grin. Ko heard the happiness in his voice and quickly turned and dove toward him. But Aang's face had already become expressionless again.

"I must be going," he said.

_"And not too soon..."_ Sota thought with a sigh.

"We will meet again," Ko said, sinking into the shadows. The two raced out and into the open.

"What a relief," Sota said. Aang nodded.

"I know. That was too close."

He ran forward as Roku appeared.

"The spirits are in trouble. I need to get back to the physical world."

"You're friend here canhelp you with that," Roku responded. Sota blinked when he realized Roku was talking about him. He suddenly felt a tugging at his keyblade, and he lifted it up. A beam shot from its tip and formed a door of light.

"Let's get going," Sota said, and the two raced through.

* * *

The sun began to set, and the firebenders were being beaten back by the empowered waterbenders, drawing their power from the full moon.

"This ought to keep them distracted," Zhao said, snapping his fingers. Shadow, Crimson Jazz, and Fiery Globe Heartless appeared. The Heartless began to attack the confused waterbenders, but they were strong enough to repell them. Meanwhile Zhao and his small personal force moved through the city.

"This map will lead us to a special place," he said, holding it up. "And when we get there, we're going fishing," he said with an evil grin.

* * *

Aang and Sota gasped as they found themselves back at the North Pole. Of course, then realized that they were in spirit form, and had not returned to their bodies. They were suddenly lifted into the air and spirited across the landscape. Katara gasped as she saw a streak of light fly over them.

"That's got to be Aang!" she said. Suddenly another streak of light landed on Appa. Sota suddenly sat up and blinked.

"Hey, you're back!" Jax said. Sota nodded.

"We have to go get Aang," he said.

"We're on it," Sokka said.

* * *

Aang suddenly awoke, and began to struggle against his ropes. He sat up and saw Zuko standing a little bit away.

"Welcome back," Zuko said.

"Good to be back," Aang said with a scowl. He drew in his breath and blasted it out, knocking Zuko against the wall and throwing him outside the cave. He began to furiously wiggle away, but Zuko walked up and grabbed his collar.

"That won't be enough to escape," he said, glaring at Aang. Aang watched as Appa suddenly flew over Zuko and landed near them.

"Appa!"

Katara jumped off as Zuko pushed Aang to the ground.

"Here for a rematch?" Zuko asked.

"Trust me, Zuko. It won't be much of a rematch."

He shot a blast of fire at her, but she pulled up water from the snow and blocked it. Then she bended the snow at Zuko and shot him into the air, encasing him in ice. Then she forced it back down, crashing him into the ground unconscious. Sokka managed to free Aang in the meantime.

"We have to get to the oasis. The spirits are in trouble!" he said, racing toward Appa. They all hopped on, but aang suddenly stopped.

"Are we really going to just leave him?" Sota asked. Aang sighed.

"No, we can't just leave him here."

"Sure we can," Sokka said.

"Yeah, let's just go," Jax agreed.

"No, if we leave him, he'll die," Aang said, jumping off.

"That would be the point," Jax mumbled as he crossed his arms. Aang dragged Zuko out of the snow and brought him onto Appa.

"Yeah that makes sense. Let's bring the guy who's always trying to kill us," Sokka said as they flew away.

* * *

The ocean and moon spirits swam peacefully into the oasis until a hand suddenly shot into the water and grabbed the white fish. Zhao threw it into a bag, moving about with the shaking fish. He smiled wickedly as the moon behind him was suddenly bathed in red. He had done it. He had finally removed the only object against him. Now victory was was surely his.

* * *

**Nightshroud:** Haha I kinda based Sota during the confrontation with Ko on how I'd react if I were there haha. Well I'm planning on having a few big fights coming up in this world, and revealing a bit more on the most recently revealed villain. Well review and let me know! 8D

Next chapter: **A Requiem for the Moon**


	7. A Requiem for the Moon

**Chapter VII: A Requiem for the Moon**

* * *

**Nightshroud:** Okay, here we are on another chapter. This world is turning out a lot longer than I had originally expected. But I am enjoying it. Things are going to get very good soon, so make sure to keep reading!

* * *

The entire sky was bathed a shade of blood red as the moon spirit was captured. The water benders instantly lost their bending ability and ran for their lives as the Heartless bounded after them.

Yue suddenly clutched her head and tried to steady herself.

"Are you okay?" Sokka asked her.

"I feel faint," she replied.

"I feel it too," Aang said.

"What's going on?" Jax asked.

"The moon spirit is in trouble," Aang said.

"I owe the moon spirit my life," Yue explained.

"What do you mean?" Sota asked her.

"When I was born, I was very sick and weak, and born as if asleep. The doctors told my parents I was going to die. My father took me to the oasis on the full moon and prayed to the spirits to spare me. He placed me in the water, and my hair dark hair turned white. I opened my eyes and began to cry, and they knew I would live. That's why my mother named me Yue, for the moon."

* * *

Zhao stood over the oasis, holding the moon spirit triumphantly in his hand.

"I am a legend. The Fire Nation will for generations tell stories about the great Zhao who darkened the moon. They will call me Zhao the Conqueror, Zhao the Moonslayer, Zhao the Invincible!"

Zhao looked up to see Appa land with Sota, Aang, and the others. Zhao and the Avatar group all readied their weapons and got into stance.

"Don't bother," Zhao said, placing his fist to kill the moon spirit with a firebending attack.

"Zhao," Aang said, startled, "don't."

"It's my destiny to destroy the moon and the water tribe," he said.

"Destroying the moon won't just hurt the water tribe. It will hurt everyone, including you. Without the moon, everything would fall out of balance. You have no idea what kind of chaos that would unleash on the world," Aang pleaded.

"He is right, Zhao," Iroh said, standing on the bridge to the oasis.

"General Iroh, why am I not surprised to discover your treachery?" Zhao said with a demeaning glance.

"I am no traitor, Zhao," Iroh said, removing his hood. "The Fire Nation needs the moon too. We all depend on the balance."

When Zhao failed to respond, Iroh pointed his finger at him.

"Whatever you do to that spirit, I'll unleash on you ten fold! Let it go! Now!"

Zhao's face registered defeat, and he kneeled down to allow the moon spirit to escape back into the oasis. As he watched it regain its position in the circle, his face suddenly twisted with rage, and he unleashed a slicing wave of fire at it. Everyone watching was horrified as the moon was suddenly blotted out of the sky.

Iroh wasted no time in unleashing a rapid series of fire blasts at Zhao. Zhao jumped back and summoned Fireglobe Heartless to defend himself. Iroh leaped in the middle of them and shot off a few quick, powerful blasts that easily finished them off. But while Iroh was distracted, Zhao was able to slink off through the plants and escape.

With the Heartless gone, everyone approached the oasis. Iroh gently lifted the moon spirit out of the water and held it in his hands.

"There's no hope now. It's over," Yue said, holding her body close to Sokka. The arrow on Aang's head, as well as his eyes and mouth, began to glow white.

"No, it's not over," he said.

"What's he doing?" Jax asked as Aang walked into the middle of the oasis. He began to meditate as the ocean spirit swam around him, it's eyes glowing white as well. Aang suddenly sank into the oasis and drew all the surrounding water to him. A large, fish-like creature emerged, with Aang visibly controlling it from a transparent part in its center. It began to march through the North Pole, cleansing the city of the Heartless. As it passed by, the water benders bowed before it, but the Heartless stared up in fear. The water creature sent off a slicing wave of water that cut through the Heartless. When more appeared on a bridge, it bended the water up and sliced right through the bridge, destroying the Heartless on it. The creature was suddenly hit with a fireball in its head from one fo the Fire Nation ships. The creature looked up and turned its attention to the harbor. It turned into water and flowed out into the harbor as the Fire Nation ships attempted to escape. The water creature reformed and grabbed the two nearest ships, smashing them into bits. Another ship launched a fireball at it, but it turned and sliced the ship in half with its hand. The creature then bended up the water around it and used it to create a wave to throw the Fire Nation ships back.

* * *

Zhao dropped down from the city wall and kept running. As he was reaching the edge of the next wall, a fireball hit the ground in front of him, stopping him dead in his tracks. He looked up to Zuko standing on the wall above him.

"You're alive?" he asked in disbelief. (If you haven't seen Avatar before, Zhao tried to have Zuko killed earlier by blowing up his ship. But as you can see, he survived.)

"You tried to have me killed!" Zuko yelled, unleashing a series of fire blasts at Zhao. Zhao rolled to the side in time to avoid them as Zuko dropped down.

"Yes, I did. You're the Blue Spirit, an enemy of the Fire Nation. You freed the Avatar!"

"I had no choice!" Zuko said, shooting off a few quick blasts of fire. Zhao put his arms forward like a spear and redirected the fire away from himself.

"You should have chosen to accept you failure, your disgrace," Zhao said as he removed his cape. "Then at least you could have lived!"

Zhao shot a blast of fire at Zuko, but he ducked to the side to avoid it. Zuko sent a slicing wave of fire at Zhao's neck, but Zhao ducked and kicked at Zuko's feet, sending off sparks of fire as he did. Zuko jumped over his kick and ran past him, regaining his positioning. They continued to exchange hits, sending off sparks of fire, until Zhao shot a blast of fire at Zuko's head. Zuko sidestepped it and aimed a blast at Zhao's unprotected side. Zhao yelled in pain as he was knocked off the wall, Zuko jumping down after him.

Iroh placed the deceased moon spirit back in the oasis.

"It's too late," Katara said from his side. "It's dead."

Everyone lowered their heads. Iroh turned his head, and his eyes suddenly widened.

"You have been touched by the moon spirit," he said, pointing at Yue. "Some of it's life is in you."

"Yes, you're right. It gave me life. Maybe I can give it back."

She got up, bu Sokka grabbed her hand.

"No! You don't have to do that."

"It's my duty, Sokka," she replied sadly.

"I won't let you! Your father told me to protect you," he replied.

"I have to due this," she said with determination, slipping her hand out of his hold. She placed her hands on the moon spirit in Iroh's hands, and it suddenly glowed white. The light faded, and Yue collapsed with a soft moan.

"No!" Sokka cried, catching her before she hit the ground. He felt her face, and his eyes saddened.

"She's gone...She's gone."

As Sokka held Yue in his arms, her body slowly vanished. Everyone blinked in shock, until the moon spirit's body began to glow white. Iroh slipped it back into the pond, and the water flashed white. Suddenly Yue's spirit emerged from the water.

"Goodbye, Sokka. I'll always be with you."

They both enjoyed a brief kiss before her spirit vanished.

"Lucky," Jax mumbled before looking over at Katara.

"Don't even. Besides, not here."

"Then where do you prefer?" he whispered back huskily.

"Idiot," she said, shoving him over.

They all looked up, and the moon suddenly reappeared in the sky above them in its rightful place.

* * *

Zuko and Zhao continued to exchange attacks. Zhao slid his foot out along the ground, creating a wave of fire along the ground. Zuko jumped over it and let loose a powerful fire blast, knocking Zhao back. Zuko shot a few more fire blasts before Zhao fell to the ground. Zuko stood over him, aimed for a finishing blow if necessary.

"Give it up, Zhao. You're beaten," he said. Zhao looked up to see the moon in its proper place in the sky.

"No, it can't be!" he cried. He suddenly looked down and noticed a pool of darkness forming around him. He could see the yellow eyes of the Heartless, watching him hungrily as he sank into it. Zuko watched him hesitantly, then ran up and extended his hand.

"Take my hand!" he said. Zhao reached out, then suddenly checked himself and withdrew it with a determined look. The darkness crawled along him like whisps of shadow, then dragged him under. Zuko watched dumbstruck as the darkness faded, taking Zhao with it as its prey.

* * *

"The moon! It's back!" Sota said. He suddenly felt a strange chilling sensation, and a scene flashed through his mind. Before he could understand it, he found himself rolling out of the way as a sword lodged in the ground where he was sitting a moment ago.

"That's the same vision I just saw," he thought in awe. Everyone turned to look as a stranger emerged from the bushes. He had long straight black hair and a white mask with pink marks on it. He had a Japanese black kimono with a long white vest and a white scarf (in case you didn't remember what he looked like). He was the same person Zhao was talking to on his ship.

"Very good. But I'd expect nothing less from the keyblade master," the man said.

"Hey, who are you?" Jax asked. Even through the mask, Jax could tell the man was shooting him a glare.

"I'd prefer if we didn't have any spectators," he said, and Sota could see that he was preparing to attack them.

"Guys, go check on Aang. Leave this to me."

"You sure?" Katara asked. Sota nodded.

"Be careful," Jax said as they ran from the oasis. With the others gone, Sota gripped his keyblade and watched his opponent. The man looked up at the moon and sighed.

"It's a shame. Apparently Yue wasn't one of them."

"What are you talking about?" Sota asked. The man chuckled softly.

"Of course. How could I possible expect you to understand. Zhao too. The Heartless are probably feeding off him now. But he was a pawn of little importance. Right now, my focus is you."

"Then what do you want?" Sota asked.

"To see if the keyblade master is really worth the worry. I would like to put their hearts at ease knowing they'd have nothing to worry about."

"Whatever. You want a fight? Then you got one."

"Hehe, impetuous one. It'll be the death of you. I'd like you to remember my name before you die. I am Marsilio Sasaki, one of the seven Tainted. I'll be sure to scatter flowers over your grave."

"Just come on!" Sota shouted.

"As you wish."

Sota eyes widened in astonishment as Marsilio raced at him with blinding speed. Sota closed his eyes and blindly thrust his keyblade forward. He felt pressure on the end, and opened his eyes. He was shocked to see Marsilio impaled on the front of his keyblade. Marsilio grabbed the keyblade and smirked.

"Scatter Burst!"

He suddenly exploded in a burst of cherry blossoms, knocking Sota backward. As he stumbled back, the real Marsilio stood behind him and positioned his sheathed sword so that he rammed it into Sota's back. In a flash he drew it out and had the blade across Sota's neck, both with their backs to each other.

"I didn't think I'd be able to kill you this easily. Your ability is pathetic."

Sota growled in frustration, but he realized that Marsilio was right. Still, he wasn't going to give up with more of a fight. He quickly kicked Marsilio in the back of his leg, weakening his hold on the sword for a fraction of a second. Sota used that opportunity to knock the sword away and dart a few feet away. Marsilio turned and clapped.

"Not bad. You're not entirely useless I suppose."

Marsilio's sword suddenly levitated into the air and Marsilio directed it forward.

"Sakura Sword: Death in One Cut!"

The blade flew threw the air at Sota, who jumped out of the way at the last moment as the sword lodged itself in the wall. Sota used the opportunity to run at the unprotected Marsilio and attack him. But as his keyblade came down for the strike, he found his weapon parried by Marsilio's sword. He glanced back and saw the sword still in the wall.

_"How did he-"_

He looked down and saw another sword appear in Marsilio's other hand.

_"He can replicate it!"_

Marsilio brought his spare sword at Sota, but Sota managed to push himself out of th way. Sota got a flash, and suddenly ducked as the sword lodged in the wall flew past him. Marsilio let go of the two in his hands and they floated around him, positioned outward.

"You're more interesting than I originally suspected. However, it makes no difference in the end."

Marsilio directed the three swords at Sota. Sota stuck his keyblade in the ground and rolled past the swords.

_"What is he-"_

Sota punched him in the shoulder, brought his left hand and punched him the stomach, then kicked him in the chest. Sota then raised his hands and the keyblade emerged from the ground and flew at Marsilio, slicing him.

"Sky Blade!"

The keyblade returned to Sota as Marsilio staggered back.

_"Incredible...he was able to create his own version of my technique. Perhaps there's more to this boy then we thought."_

Sota ran at Marsilio for another attack, but the man faded into cherry blossoms and blew to the side as Sota alshed at where he was less than a moment ago. Marsilio reformed behind him and hit Sota in the back of the neck with the hilt of his sword. Sota dropped to the ground, but struggled to get up.

"You have more potential than I gave you credit for. However, in the end the result will be the same. Enjoy what little time you have left. I will enjoy giving you a funeral."

He opened up a portal and disappeared into it. Sota forced himself up and looked at the spot where Marsilio had teleported from.

"Seven of these guys? This looks like deep trouble."

He looked toward the door and with a sigh ran to find Jax and the others. He suddenly stopped as he saw a glimmer in the oasis. He looked down where the ocean and moon spirits were swiming, and in the middle of them was a keyhole. He felt a tug at his keyblade, and he aimed it toward the keyhole. A shaft of light shot from the tip and into the keyhole. The light faded, and Sota heard a slight locking sound.

"That's one keyhole down."

* * *

The water creature looked up and saw the moon, then suddenly turned into water and slipped back into the city through the canals. The water deposited a dazed Aang on a bridge before returning to the ocean.

"Aang!"

Aang turned to see Katara and the others running up to him.

"Aang, are you all right?" Katara asked.

"Yeah, I'm okay," he replied, holding his head.

"You did. It's over," Sokka said. Jax glanced back toward the oasis.

"Worried?" Katara asked him. Jax looked at her and smiled.

"Nah. It's no big deal to me what happens to him."

"You know, you don't have to always act like such a big tough guy," she said slyly. Jax grinned.

"But would you love me as much if I didn't?"

Katara sighed and rolled her eyes as Sota came running up.

"Hey, you're back," Jax said. Sota nodded.

"Yeah, that guy's gone. No need to worry."

Katara glanced over at Jax. Jax shrugged.

"Who was worried?" he said nonchalantly.

* * *

"Thanks for all your help!" Aang said as Sota and Jax were preparing to leave.

"It was nice meeting you guys," Sokka said. They all shook hands until Jax came to Katara.

"So, I guess this is goodbye," Jax said. Katara nodded.

"Thanks for helping me with Zuko before. I owe you."

"No problem," he said. Katara shifted nervously before placing a quick kiss on his cheek.

"Bye," she said before joining her place with Aang and Sokka.

"Goodbye!" the three called as the gummi ship launched out of the atmosphere.

"I love being a hero," Jax said, resting his arms behind his head. Sota sweatdropped.

"So what happened with that guy at the oasis?" Jax asked him. Sota sighed.

"I've got a lot to tell you."

* * *

**Nightshroud:** Sorry if it took me a while to get this one up. I had it done on Wednesday, but my mom closed the window I was using and I didn't have it saved, so I had to start from scratch. Anyway, I hope the chapter was good. It was definitely the longest I've ever written. Well review and show the love! 8D Oh, and we'll have a new character introduced in the next chapter. Get psyched!

Next chapter: **The Girl in the Ice**


	8. The Girl in the Ice

**Chapter VIII: The Girl in the Ice**

* * *

**Nightshroud:** Well it's time for another OC to meet the party. I hope you like it. 8D

* * *

"And he said that Yue wasn't one of them. What do you think he meant?" Sota asked.

"I'm not sure," Jax said "though my hunch is that they thought she was a princess of heart."

"I guess that would explain why-"

Sota was suddenly interrupted as a pannel of lights on the craft suddenly lit up and a wailing siren rang though the ship.

"What's going on?" Jax asked, covering his ears.

"I don't know. We'd better land it to get repairs. Let's try that Radiant Garden place that Merlin talked about."

Sota used the warp gummi Merlin gave them to travel back into the Realm of Light. Once there, he directed the gummi ship toward Radiant Garden. As they desended, the ship buckled as something made a small exploding noise in the back of the ship.

"That can't be good," Sota said, pulling up on the controls. He could see a valley of purple rocks and a small town below. The ship slammed into the ground, smacking their heads on the ceiling.

"That'll leave a bruise," Jax said, rubbing his head.

"Hey, I did the best I could," Sota said, kicking open the door. He emerged to find a group of people gathered around.

"Uh...hi?" Sota said.

"Hey! Are you trying to kill me? Me heart's beating a mile a minute!"

Sota looked to see that the man who said that was barely a few inches from the gummi ship, which must have crashed right next to him.

"Oh, sorry about that," Sota said.

"Come on, Valon. You've dealt with worse than a stray gummi ship," a female ninja said, helping him up.

"You're all heart, love," he said.

"Oh, Valon and Yufie, right? My sister told me about you," Sota said. Both looked at each other, then him.

"Your sister?" they asked.

"Yeah. You remember Reyna, right?" he asked. Their faces instantly lit up in recognition.

"Oh, wow! It's so nice to meet you!" Yuffie said. Jax tumbled out of the ship and walked over.

"So what's up with the reunion?" he asked.

"Oh, these two are friends of my sister."

"Charmed," Jax said with slight sarcasm. "But I think we should look into getting this fixed," he said, kicking the side of the ship, which dislodged some bolts in protest. Of course that earned him a glare from Sota, to which he just ignored.

"We can take this thng to Cid to get fixed. In the meantime, get comfortable," Valon said.

"Hmm...I think I'm confused though," Sota said. Yuffie crossed her arms.

"Why's that?" she asked.

"Well, isn't the place we're standing now the Great Maw? I remember hearing about it."

"Oh yeah. A few years ago we were starting to get over-populated in Radiant Garden, so a group of people led by Dias Landford established a town down here in the Great Maw and named it Arias. We still act in its defense and do routine checks on it, like we're doing now," Yuffie explained.

"Now do you want more history lessons, or should we get this old bucket fixed?" Jax asked. Sota glared.

"Thanks, you guys."

"No problem. I always sorta wanted to do something to repay Reyna meself," Valon said.

"Just hang out here for a while. We'll be back later," Yuffie said. Sota watched as the two disappeared from sight, then turned to Jax.

"What do you want to do?" he asked. Jax shrugged.

"Dunno. Might as well have a look around."

The two strolled through the town, a smaller, more rustic version of Radiant Garden. Sota spied a large building toward the center of town and walked over to it.

"Let's take a look inside," Sota said. Jax shrugged.

"Yeah, sure."

The two opened the doors and realized that they must be in the mayor's mansion, rather nicely furnished. Jax followed Sota as he ascended the stairs and took look around.

"Don't you think we're kinda barging in?" Jax whispered. Sota shook his head.

"I'm sure they're used to people visiting," he replied. Where he looked from the top of the stairs he could see three doors leading from the large sitting room they were in. The middle door was slightly ajar, and he could hear voices from inside. he crept up to the door and looked inside.

An middle-aged man with short blond hair and a goatee (much like Luxord) sat at a desk, wearing a white suit and a purple neckerchief. An old woman was standing a few feet from his desk talking to him. Sota leaned forward to listenm when he tumbled forward and knocked the door open. Both were immediately starled from their conversation as they saw their intruder, sprawled out on the carpet. Jax walked in and stood over Sota.

"Smooth," he said with a chuckle. Sota glared up at him.

"Hey, what are you doing?" a guard asked, seizing them from behind.

"Wait, hold on," the man, obviously the mayor, said. The guard stopped in his tracks.

"I want to have a word with them. You may leave."

The guard mumbled grudgingly and left. Sota breathed a sigh of relief until he noticed the mayor watching him.

"Uh, I'm really sorry about that," Sota started to say. The mayor waved his hand for him to stop.

"Never mind that. I don't believe I've seen you before, so I was hoping you might help me with something. No one in town has been able to help."

"And that is?" Jax asked.

"My daughter has gone missing. Two days ago she left the house to wander around town, and ever since then no one has seen her. I was wondering if maybe you had."

"What does she look like?" Jax asked with a twinkle in his eye. Sota had to use a great deal of self control not to cover his face with his hand.

"She's about his age," he said, motioning to Sota. "She has black shoulder length hair, and almost violet eyes."

"No, I'm afraid we haven't," Sota said. The old woman still in the room turned back to the mayor.

"Mayor Lanford, my husband and I saw her wandering off toward the Crystal Fizzure the other day. We didn't see her come back this way."

"Well check it out for you if you want," Jax offered.

"Thank you," Mayor Lanford replied.

* * *

The two left the mansion and stepped into the fresh air.

"Well now that you volunteered us, I guess we might as well go," Sota said.

"The mayor said the Crystal Fizzure was up that way," Jax said, pointing in the direction of Radiant Garden.

"Right," Sota said. The two left town and made their way up the trail of hard, purple rock until they reached a cave. They entered in and were amazed by the beauty inside. The cavern was covered with large crystals all around, reflecting the light around in amazing patterns. Sota suddenly stopped as he saw that one of the large crystals on the far wall wasn't a crystal. It was ice. And there was someone _inside_.

"Hey, look," Sota said, running over to it. As he stopped in front of it, he saw that it was a girl, with shoulder length black hair, with a strand coming down in between her eyes and an outift like Yuffie's from the first KH. Her eyes were shut, as if she were asleep.

"Hey, you think that's her?" Jax asked. When Sota didn't reply, Jax looked over at him. Sota was staring at her, his mouth slightly open and his eyes completely fixed on her.

"Umm, Sota? What the heck's up with you?" he asked. He shoved Sota's shoulder, knocking him.

"What was that for?" Sota asked, rubbing his arm.

"You were practically eye-molesting her," Jax said with a smirk. Sota instantly blushed.

"No I wasn't!"

"Yeah yeah. Just help think of a way to get her out," Jax said. Sota aimed his keyblade at the ice.

"Way ahead of you. Fira!"

Sota cast a fire spell, sending a fireball crashing into the ice. They covered their eyes as a flash of light shined through the cavern at the contact of the fire with the ice. When Sota opened his, he saw that the ice had shattered in front of the girl, and her eyes were opening slowly. At the same time, her body started to fall forward, though some of her arms and legs were still in the ice. Sota watched, frozen in place as the girl fell forward. As her eyes suddenly opened, her lips met with his. Both of them widened their eyes in shock, before the ice around her limbs cracked, causing her to drop entirely onto him. The next moment they found themselves on the floor, with her laying on top of him. She quickly shoved him away and stood up, blushing and fuming. Sota looked over at Jax and pointed to himself, as if to say, "Did I just...?"

Jax nodded with a laugh, then started making kissing faces and noises.

"Stop laughing, you jackass," the girl said, straightening herself out.

"Of course, your highness," he said sarcastically. Sota stood up and tried to look at the girl without blushing.

"Your father asked us to look for you. We should probably go back now."

"Yeah, I guess I should head back," she said.

"What, you're not going to thank us?" Jax asked, sliding up next to her with a mischievous grin. "Or maybe you already gave Sota his," he said with a snicker.

"Get lost," she said angrily and took off running toward the town.

"C'mon, we'd better chase after her," Jax said to Sota, who had just woken himself up from another daze. Jax sighed and pulled Sota along with him.

* * *

Sota and Jax suddenly stopped short when they caught sight of the town.

"Oh no..." Sota said. They hurried down the path until they reached the town. It was in bad shape, with most of the buildings collapsed or damaged, and bodies laying in twisted heaps. They hurried over to the mayor's house and found it in worse shape than most.

"Hey, there she is," Jax said. The girl was kneeling in the middle of the rubble. They could see the mayor pinned beneath his desk, his face rather pale.

"Mina, you're back," he said weakly. She smiled sadly and wiped away the tears from her eyes.

"Yeah, dad, I'm here."

He brought his hand to her face and brushed the hair away.

"I'm glad I got to see you once last time. I'm so proud of you, my beautiful Mina. I want you to know I'll always love you."

"I love you too," she said, her voice cracking. He smiled and rested his head back, and his hand fell limp on her face.

"Dad..." she said, clutching her hands as tears streamed down her face. Sota watched sadly, then suddenly felt strangely as an image of her attacking them flashed through his mind.

"No...she wouldn't...would she?"

Mina stopped crying and stood up, her back to them.

"Hey," Jax said gently, "we're really sorry that-"

Mina suddenly turned and threw a kunai (like a ninja knife thing if you didn't know) at Sota. Sota moved to the side just in time as it flew past him.

"Instant Light!"

Though to Sota and Jax it seemed instantaneous, to Mina it was like time slowed down. She warped from where she stood to where her kunai (still flying through the air right behind Sota) was and slashed Sota across the back. He stumbled forward and fell, then forced himself to roll to the side as she slashed at him again. Sota stood up as Mina lunged at him again, but this time Jax stepped in front of him and blocked with his buster sword. Sota used the opportunity to heal himself with a cure spell.

"What's your problem?" Jax asked angrily. Mina jumped back and gripped the two tri-pointed kunai in her hands.

"You two! You're the ones who did this!" she accused. Both of them were taken by surprise.

"You think we did this?!" they said together.

"I don't see any other strangers around here, do you?" she shot back.

"Now hold on. We'd never do something like this," Sota said. Jax chimed in.

"Yeah, Sota's too wussy to even hurt a fly!"

Sota opened his mouth to agree, then realized that he was being insulted.

"Hey, what was that?" Sota said with annoyance.

"Did I stutter?" Jax said with a smirk.

The two started to argue back and forth, till Mina interrupted.

"Is this how you throw people off guard? By acting like two buffoons?"

"Hey, who are you calling buffoons?" Jax growled.

"Enough of this. I'm itching to take you two down!"

Mina threw her kunai at them, but Jax lifted up his sword and blocked them.

"Thundara!" she called, casting a storm of lightning bolts at them.

"Reflera!" Sota called, putting up a shield around them that reflected the thunder spell back at Mina. She dived out of the way and summoned her kunai back to her hands.

She threw one to one side of the Sota and Jax, and the other on their other side.

"Chain Lightning!" she called. The two kunai suddenly sent off bursts of lightning that connected in a single chain, with Sota and Jax caught in the middle. They cried out as the lightning coursed through them before Mina stopped the attack. They dropped to the ground, panting and trying to regain thier strength.

"I'm going to teach you two a very painful lesson. You won't get away with destroying the village!" Mina yelled.

"Hn. That's hardly fair, giving them credit for all my hard work," said a somewhat high pitched male voice.

Mina, Jax, and Sota all turned in surprise at the new voice. On top of the ruins of a building stood a young man. He had light brown hair that hung down over the left side of his face, though his blue eye was slightly visible. The other side of his face was covered with a mask, a four pointed star over the eye hole and the mouth in a twisted grin. He was wearing a red and white vertical stripped clown shirt with a big white collar. He wore white gloves and puffy blue pants with red suspenders.

"Your hard work...you mean...you're the one who did this?" Mina struggled to say.

"That's right. It wasn't too hard either. Especially after the town's only capable fighter was conveniently frozen in ice."

"You were the one who froze her?" Sota asked. The figure's eyes drifted over to Sota.

"Oh...the keyblade brat and his big oaf sidekick," he said with a chuckle.

"C'mon, let's take this guy," Sota said to Jax. Mina stepped in front of them.

"Stay out of this. This is my fight," she said, sending a deathly glare at the man.

He laughed and gave a mock bow. "Introducing Rolan as the part of antagonist, to the keyblade protagonists. Now that the introductions are over, let the performance begin!"

* * *

**Nightshroud:** This is one of the few chapters that I had perfectly envisioned in my head. It's actually a very important one too, but you'll see why later. Anyway, hope you liked it. Review and let me know! 8D

Next chapter: **Nightmare Roulette**


	9. Dancing Mad

**Chapter IX: Dancing Mad**

* * *

**Nightshroud:** This one took a few days because I was working on my science fair project (which in my school is mandatory). Thanks to some inspiration from kanjilearner, I found a title for the chapter! It's Kefka's (this psycho clown from Final Fantasy VI) theme music. Anyway, I read up on him, and he seems to have a similar personality for what I had in mind with Rolan. Well you'll have to see how that goes. Well, on with the chapter. Oh and I have included some Final Fantasy spell in this story that weren't in the original KH games. Like I've added the Protect spell, which can't relfect the attack like Reflect, but can withstand stronger attacks. K just so we have that covered. 8D

* * *

Rolan held his arm out and a large gatling gun appeared on right arm.

"No one who's seen my Nightmare Roulette has ever lived. You'd better be ready!"

Sota, Jax, and Mina braced themselves as he aimed his gun at them.

"Take this!"

He fired a blast at them, but they jumped out of the way as the attack hit the building behind them, causing it to collapse. Mina threw a kunai at him, but he spun on his toes out of the way.

"Instant Light!"

Mina teleported to where her kunai was and slashed at him. Rolan flipped off the building and twisted in midair to fire a blast at Mina.

"Protera!" Jax called, shielding Mina from the blast. Sota ran at Rolan's side to attack him. Rolan saw him coming and raised his hand at Sota.

"Blizzaga!"

He fired large ice crystals at Sota, but Sota kicked off the wall of a nearby building and jumped over them, hurling his keyblade at the clown.

"Strike Raid!"

Rolan jumped backward and avoided it with ease. But Jax came up behind him and swung his sword at Rolan's torso. Rolan back flipped, his hands landing on Jax's shoulders, and kicked off Jax's back, knocking him to the ground. Mina, Jax, and Sota all stood together, watching the clown as he held his hand out. It began to glow, and small spheres of red light formed in the air above his hand. They turned darker and darker until they formed small black bombs with twisted clown faces on them and bat wings.

"Psycho Bombs!"

He then held his hand out and the bombs flew at them.

"Move!" Sota said. The three ran as the bombs homed in on them. As they turned the corner, one hit the side of the building, exploding and destroying half of it.

"Man, those things are powerful!" Jax said. Sota suddenly stopped.

"I have an idea."

As the bombs drew near, he held up Brave Soul.

"Stopra!"

The bombs stopped in midair in front of them.

"That was close," Jax said with a sigh of relief.

"Impressive," said Rolan, appearing on a roof above them. He held his gun up and grinned wickedly.

"But I'm the star of this show!"

He shot a blast from his gun at the bombs. All three saw what his plan was. Mina threw a kunai off to the side as the blast hit the bombs, causing them to detonate and rip the entire block apart. Mina teleported to where her kunai had landed, holding on to Sota and Jax.

"I don't know why I help you fools," she said with annoyance.

"C'mon, we've been together for less than an hour, and you already dig me," Jax said with a grin. Mina gave a disgusted noise and shoved him away.

"I think we need to focus," Sota said, trying to stop Jax from flirting with her, though it seemed obvious that she had no interest.

"Thanks for the tip," Mina said sarcastically.

"There's no point," Rolan said, appearing on the wall behind them. "When all's said and done, your merely rats in a trap! And the big cat's going to get you!" he said before laughing crazily.

"You're insane," Mina hissed at him.

"What was your first clue?" Jax said with equal sarcasm to Mina. She ignored him and brought her kunai up to attack.

"Why do you resist?" he said harsh, crazy whisper. "Humanity is noting but a bunch of roaches for the strong to crush!"

He threw back his head and let out a crazed laugh. Mina growled and threw both her kunai at him. Rolan brought his gatling gun up to block the attack. He then jumped from the wall in a twirling flip and landed kneeling right in front of her. In a flash he brought his gun up to her stomach.

"Boom."

He blasted her with his gun, throwing her back into a pile of rubble. He smirked and walked forward toward her, but Sota ran at him from behind. Rolan threw out his hand to the side.

"Flame Flower!"

The ground around Sota cracked upward as fiery tendrils ensnared him. Fiery flowers bloomed along the fiery tendrils holding him. Sota struggled, but it only caused his bonds to burn him. Rolan turned his back to Sota and snapped his fingers.

"Ignite!"

The flowers exploded around him, and he collapsed to the ground. Rolan laughed until he saw Jax's sword flying at him. He jumped back to avoid it and shot a blast from his gun at Jax.

"Terra Shield!"

Jax clapped his hands together, and the earth in front of hip flipped up to form a shield. The blast collided with it, sending off an explosion and a cloud of smoke. Suddenly Jax jumped out of the smoke and punched at Rolan.

"Air Hammer!"

Rolan was suddenly hit by multiple powerful punches all over his body. He staggered back, then ran at Jax and kicked him in the jaw. Jax was knocked into the air, but Rolan jumped after him and slammed his palm into Jax's chest, knocking him back to the ground. He then aimed his gatling gun downward in midair and shouted.

"Ultra Fire Bullet!"

He shot an intense blast of fire down at Jax, but Jax managed to use a spell in time.

"Protega!"

The Blast collided with the shield, sending off a brilliant flash and an explosion. Jax's spell wore off, but through the fog Rolan suddenly dropped down and drove his feet into Jax's stomach like a drill.

"Spinning Blade Drill!"

He then jumped off Jax and turned to look for Mina.

"Where are you little one? I'm going to enjoy slitting your pretty little throat. Or perhaps I'll just blow you to pieces, just like I did to everyone you know. Hahahaha!"

Mina suddenly jumped from the rubble and slashed at Rolan, aiming for his throat. In a flash, he had his hand tightly around her throat, and she danged helplessly in the air in front of him, her kunai lying on the ground out of reach.

"Aww, don't struggle, little one. One more squeeze and it will all be over."

Mina gasped as his hold on her throat tightened. Rolan suddenly dropped her and staggered forward. Mina coughed at the sudden intake of air and looked up to see Sota standing there, his keyblade poised for another strike.

"Get away from her," he ordered Rolan. The mad clown stood with his back to them and began to laugh crazily.

"You little fool! I'm going to kill you!"

He turned and laughed insanely, his visible eye widened like he had gone insane. Suddenly a portal opened behind Rolan and Vesper stepped out.

"Hey, Rolan, you're not supposed to kill them yet, remember?"

Rolan seemed to compose himself and grinned childishly.

"Oh. Of course!"

Sota saw the intruder and glared.

"You again?"

Vesper noticed him and glanced lazily in his direction.

"Oh. Hey."

Vesper turned his attention back to the crazed clown and folded his arms.

"C'mon, let's get going. We have other things to do. Or she might get really angry."

Rolan did a handstand and walked on his hands over to the portal. He suddenly turned his head to look at Sota, and the crazed look in his eye reappeared.

"This isn't over. I'll have your head before long!"

Then he grinned happily and walked into the portal. Vesper sighed and walked in after him. Finally, the three were alone.

"Are you okay?" Sota asked, kneeling down by Mina.

"I'm fine," she said, pushing him away.

"And no one's going to ask me?" Jax said, walking over with his hand on his stomach. When no one replied, he grumbled to himself.

"You're all heart, you two."

"Now what do we do?" Sota said, not to anyone in particular. Mina suddenly got up and walked away from them, heading out toward the Dark Depths.

"Where are you going?" Sota asked her.

"Leave me alone," she said. Jax sighed and crossed his arms.

"She's a piece of work. So, what do we do? Go to Radiant Garden?"

Sota didn't reply until Mina disappeared from view.

"Yeah, I guess so."

* * *

"Hey, what happened?" Yuffie asked, running down the street toward them. They had just gotten into Radiant Garden, and their run-down state was attracting some attention.

"The village…Arias…It was destroyed by this insane clown, Rolan. No one survived, except the mayor's daughter, Mina."

"But she ran off somewhere," Jax finished.

"That's a bad run of luck," Valon said with a sigh.

"He portaled away, though, so there's nothing we can do."

"Well, we did get your gummi ship fixed," Yuffie said. "At least now you guys can continue your journey."

"And what happened wasn't your fault. It couldn't be helped really," Valon said.

"I guess…" Sota mumbled. Jax shook his head.

"In any case, you can't keep going around in that."

Sota looked down at his now-torn school uniform.

"Oh, I see what you mean."

"C'mon, let's get you something to wear," Yuffie said, leading him by the hand.

* * *

"Well that's better," said Valon as Sota came out in his new outfit. He was wearing gray pants, a black shirt, a white short-sleeve jacket with a red cross on the back.

"Hehe, not bad. You're almost halfway to being as good looking as me," Jax said with a grin. Sota sighed.

"How flattering," he mumbled with a roll of his eyes.

"Well I hope you get to come back again," Yuffie said.

"Sorry your time got a little rough here. Next time we'll have to have some fun,'' Valon added.

Valon and Yuffie walked with them to the gummi ship. Suddenly Mina jumped down from the roof of a nearby building.

"I'm coming with you," she said, rather demanding. Jax looked over at Sota, but Sota just seemed to be staring.

"And why's that?" Jax asked.

"Because a certain clown is going to pay," she hissed while gripping her kunai. Jax blinked, then shrugged.

"Yeah sure. Why not. Besides, I now it would kill you to be away from me," he said with a grin. Mina gave an irritated scowl and walked past him. Sota broke out of his daze and followed after her.

"Have a safe trip!" Yuffie called to them from inside the ship.

"Don't wait up!" Sota called back. As the ship blasted off from the planet, Valon sighed and folded his arms.

"It does me heart good to see ignorant youth running into danger without the slightest clue and feeling like they can conquer the world."

Yuffie laughed and kissed him on the cheek. "You're a piece of work."

"Much appreciated, love."

* * *

"So, where to now?" Sota asked as they used the warp gummi to return to the other universe.

"Go toward that snowy-looking world," Mina said, pointing out the window.

"And why do you get to choose our destination?" Jax asked, leaning in close.

"Because I can castrate you in a second."

"Hehe, I like 'em fiery."

_SMACK_

Sota rolled his eyes as he headed for their destination, all the time wondering how he had managed to think that the three of them could get along.

* * *

**Nightshroud:** I hope the fight was good. Rolan is one of my favorite of the villains. I have to admit, Lauracroft, that I was considering putting that world in to the story because it was also one of my favorite animes, but I thought it might be too hard to fit into the story. However, since you requested it, I will try my best. I hope you liked being able to see Valon again. I'll make sure he reappears again. Well review and let me know how you liked it.

Next chapter:


	10. Battle on the Iceberg

**Chapter X: Battle on the Iceberg**

* * *

**Nightshroud:** Like only two people reviewed last chapter. Did no one catch my update e-mail? Oh well. Okay, take a good guess at which world this is. 8D Hehe well you'll get to see more about the villains of the story, a little teaser if you will. So I'm sure you want me to stop babbling and get on with it.

* * *

"Mr. Makito! We have a problem!"

"What is that?" the old director, Mr. Makito, asked as he and his assistant stood at the front of the ship, staring at the ominous iceberg that the ship had crashed into.

"When I woke up this morning I found this waiting for me. We can't get through! What are we going to do?"

The old man stood silently for a moment. Suddenly his eyes widened in shock.

"This is it! We're changing everything!"

When his assistant didn't seem to catch on, the old man turned toward him.

"You moron! We're standing on the perfect spot to shoot! It's practically begging us to film here!"

"Waah?"

"Cherish this moment! The movie gods are smiling down on us! Everyone prepare to embark!"

* * *

"What's the big idea of interrupting me while I was having a performance?" Rolan said angrily to Vesper.

"Calm down. She wanted us all here," Vesper responded.

"Yeah, so shut the hell up, clown."

"Iselia, as sweet as always," Marsilio said.

"I thought you said all of us. I don't see Karashi," Rolan stated.

"He's on a mission on my orders, so he won't be here," a woman said from the throne above them. She had waist-long pink hair, a floor length black dress with a black mask covering her lower face and nose, with a silver wing sticking out on the left side, extending above her left ear. Around her neck she wore a silver choker with a red jewel. The four of them bowed down as a figure moved next to her.

"It's about time the little brat did a mission on his own," Marsilio mumbled from the floor.

"Something unexpected has happened. Things are happening more quickly than I expected. If we don't hurry, this may ruin everything. It's time to step things up. Now don't disappoint me."

"Understood, Queen Diana."

* * *

"Okay, scene 36, cut 22. Action!"

An old man dressed as a sorcerer stood on top of the ridge in front of the movie crew, looking down at the heroes of the film.

"So princess, you've arrived!"

"It's you, Mao!" the princess said, drawing her sword.

"Please, stay back, princess," one of the male actors said on her right.

"We'll take care of him for you," the other male actor said.

"Did you honestly believe these meager fools would be a match for me, princess?"

The old actor raised his hands for an attack, when the mountain behind him suddenly exploded. The old actor turned around, surprised.

"Is this in the scene?"

Suddenly a ninja with spiky silver hair jumped in front of the actors.

"Everyone get back!" he shouted. The cliff above let off a cloud of black and white smoke. Out of the snow suddenly emerged a ninja dressed mostly in white with silvery-white hair.

"Welcome, friends, to the Land of Snow."

The silver haired ninja by the actors suddenly gasped in surprise.

"You!"

Another ninja appeared nearby, this one a female with pink hair in two short pigtails.

"Greetings, Princess Koyuki. I do hope you still have the Hex Crystal," she said.

"Kakashi-sensei, what's going on?" one of the other ninja that were with him shouted. Kakashi didn't pay any attention to him. Something else had caught his attention.

"Princess Koyuki?" he asked, turning towards the lead actress. Another ninja appeared on their right, this one a large man with purple hair.

"You're as good as they say, Kakashi. But fortunately, it's not good enough."

Kakashi turned to his squad of three ninja and shouted orders.

"Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura! Protect Yukie! Everyone else, get back to the ship!"

The crew seemed confused and reluctant. The leader of the three ninjas turned to someone who had appeared next to him.

"Are you going to help?" he asked the new arrival.

"Oh," the person, a young man of about nineteen, said. "I- uh….I think I'll wait here."

The lead ninja snorted in disgust before turning to his subordinates.

"Fubuki, Mizore, I'll leave the princess to you."

"Very well then," the female, Fubuki, said before jumping down. Kakashi ran up the cliff at the lead ninja.

"It's been a long time, Kakashi. I hope you don't plan to run, like last time."

"Nadare Rouga."

The two jumped at each other, kicking and punching. Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura formed a defensive formation around Yukie, the lead actress.

"I don't know if this is in the script, but I always wanted to be in the movies. Don't you worry, princess. Naruto Uzumaki is here to save you!"

Mizore, the large man with the purple hair, pulled out an automatic snowboard and shot at Naruto. Suddenly they all stopped and looked up as a shadow passed over them.

"What is that?" Sakura said.

* * *

"Well, Sota, I actually think you're going to land successfully this time," Jax said.

"See? I told you I'd get the hang of it," Sota said, turning toward Jax.

"Yeah, yeah, just keep on eye on the controls," Mina said. Sota mumbled and turned back. As he did, his hand hit a button on the console near the steering wheel. A beeping noise suddenly went off.

"Uh oh…" Sota began. Jax sighed.

"Just great. You're finally able to land successfully, and you hit the eject buttooooooon!"

* * *

Mizore shot at Naruto on his snowboard and was about to hit him when he was suddenly blind-sided by someone. The two of them went crashing into the snow.

"What was that?" Naruto wondered. Suddenly Sota and Mina landed in the snow next to him.

"Huh? Who are you?" Naruto asked them. Jax suddenly emerged from the snow next to Mizore.

"No worries. I'm okay. Thanks for asking!"

Mizore grunted and shoved Jax to the side as he reached for his board. He got on it again and shot after Naruto. A handful of kunai were thrown at him, clashing into his armor. Mizore turned his head and saw Sasuke coming at him from the side. Sasuke threw a large shuriken at Mizore, but Mizore brought up his metal arm and broke the shuriken.

"Ice Style: Tsubame Blizzard!" Fubuki called. Swallow-shaped icicles flew at Sasuke, but he back flipped to the side as they passed by. They swooped around and aimed for him, but he made a few quick hand signs and shot a blast of fire from his mouth.

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

The blast of fire melted the icicles aimed at him before they could reach him.

"Impressive," Jax said as he reached Mina and Sota.

"Quick! Everyone get back to the ship!" Sakura ordered. The other actors ran off, but Yukie stayed rooted to the spot.

"Yukie!" Sakura called.

"Hey, guys, I think they need help," Sota said.

"We're on it," Jax said.

* * *

Fubuki put her hand to the ground and called out another attack.

"Ice Style: Ice Prison!"

Blocks of ice erupted at Sasuke, who jumped back to avoid them all, then shot a blast of fire as a counterattack. Fubuki raised her hand as more ice blocks shot up to protect her from the fire blast. Fubuki unleashed another jutsu as more blocks of ice shot at Sasuke. He flipped out of the way as they came at him, but more shot out from behind him. He forced himself into the air, but they shot up after him, catching his foot. Suddenly a tri-pointed kunai whizzed past him and Mina appeared, grabbing him and teleporting before they ice encased them both. Fubuki frowned until she saw Mina's kunai fly at her.

"Instant Light!"

Mina appeared behind her, but Fubuki quickly used the wings attached to her armor to take to the air, out of Mina's reach.

* * *

Yukie watched with a fearful expression before collapsing to her knees. Naruto turned his head to see what was wrong, but Mizore used the opportunity to attack him. He threw a powerful punch at Naruto, but he jumped back in time to avoid it. He punched again, then swung his leg at Naruto. Naruto jumped in time to avoid it, but was left open for the next punch. As he crashed into the ice, Sota jumped in front of Naruto and swung Brave Soul, knocking Mizore back.

* * *

Nadare saw Kakashi distracted by Naruto and Sota's fight with Mizore and unleashed an attack at him.

"Ice Style: Piercing Dragon Fierce Tiger!"

Kakashi saw his jutsu and countered with one of his own.

"Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!"

The two attacks clashed, but Nadare's proved stronger and shattered Kakashi's water dragon. Kakashi jumped back in time as the dragon-like ice tiger crashed into the ground in front of him.

* * *

Meanwhile Mizore used his metal arm to shoot a net at Yukie, but Sakura cut it before it could reach her.

"Get out of the way, little girl!"

He charged at her, but Naruto threw himself into Mizore's side. Mizore got up and punched at Naruto, but Naruto caught both of Mizore's hands, his eyes glowing red.

_"What is this chakra?"_ Mizore wondered to himself.

Naruto and Mizore were still locked in a struggle, so Sakura turned to Yukie.

"Yukie, hurry and get to the ship already!"

Yukie seemed frozen in place, living out some past memory.

"You have to go! Your life is-" Sota began.

"I don't care if I die!" she interrupted him. "I-I won't go back to the Land of Snow!" she cried, clutching her head.

"We don't have time for this!" Naruto said, before Mizore grabbed him and tossed him to the side. Mizore raised his metal arm and shot his hand at Yukie. Sakura jumped in front of it, and Mizore yanked her back, throwing her toward the ground. Jax caught her in midair, and the two fell safely to the ground. Sota quickly jumped in Mizore's way to keep him from advancing. Yukie suddenly collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

"Yukie!" Naruto cried. Kakashi heard him and ran toward Yukie.

"Don't be in such a hurry! We're not through here," Nadare said. He lifted his hands and performed a series of handsigns.

"Ice Style: White Whale Jutsu!"

The ground in front of Kakashi suddenly erupted in front of Kakashi in the shape of a narwhal, splitting the iceberg in two. Kakashi landed safely with his back to Nadare.

"Okay, that was impressive. Now it's my turn!" he said, revealing his Sharingan.

"Naruto, get everyone out of here!" Kakashi called to him. Naruto nodded, and he, Sasuke, Sakura, Jax, Mina, and Sota all regrouped.

"Ice Style: White Whale Jutsu!" Kakashi called.

The ground behind him formed into a large narwhal, jumping out of the ground.

"Still copying my moves, eh? You're not going to settle this fight like that!" Nadare said, using the same jutsu.

"Settle the fight? That's not really what I was aiming for at the moment," Kakashi said. Nadare was suddenly shocked. Kakashi's narwhal crashed into Nadare's, knocking it back into the iceberg. The resulting crash caused the part they were on to sink. Kakashi, rejoined the others and they all quickly made it to the ship. The ship was propelled forward by the waves, pushing them safely away from the snow ninja.

"And cut!" the director called.

"Man, I really hope we got all that," his assistant mumbled.

* * *

"Hey, where are you going?" Marsilio asked Iselia as she opened a portal in hallway.

"Where does it look like, dumbass? Out of this castle."

"Don't think you can get away talking to me like that," he said, grabbing her face with his hand. "I'm not like the other rabble around here."

"Now now, mustn't fight among ourselves," Rolan said, dropping from the ceiling. Iselia wrenched free from Marsilio's grasp and stumbled back.

"Egotistic bastard," she mumbled.

"Foul-mouthed bitch," he responded sharply. Vesper stopped Iselia from launching herself at him.

"Don't get your panties in a bunch, Marsy. We got orders from Queen Diana to find a bounty hunter," Vesper said. Marsilio's temper flared, but he suddenly brushed them off and turned away.

"Hn. Go then," he said, walking away. Vesper glared at Marsilio's retreating figure and followed Iselia into the portal.

"I'm going with you guys!" Rolan said, jumping head-first after them.

* * *

The three snow ninjas dropped down on a chunk of ice, watching the ship sail out of view. The other figure appeared next to Nadare, folding his arms.

"Oh! You let her get away!" he whined.

"Maybe that wouldn't have happened if you had helped," Fubuki said irritated. Nadare frowned.

"Doto won't like this."

* * *

**Nightshroud:** Good fight? Hope so. Yes we're in Naruto's world if you hadn't noticed. Unlike the Avatar world, this one might be different than the original, but I'll try not to go too off hehe. Oh and Marsilio isn't in second commnand, FYI. He just thinks he's so much better than the rest of them. And yes, Rolan has severe bipolar disorder. He tends to be somewhat goofy when he's not fighting, but when he is, he becomes a psychotic killer. Well anyway, review and let me know what you think.

Next chapter: yeah gotta work on that hehe


	11. Kidnapped

**Chapter XI: Kidnapped**

* * *

**Nightshroud:** Well I have finals coming up next Thursday and Friday, so this will probably be the last post I get in before then. Totally random and all, but I love Luxord's voice! He just has the coolest accent! Anyway, more of the Naruto chapter.

* * *

"So where did you guys say you were from," Sasuke asked the group. They were seated at a table inside the ship, along with Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, the director, his assistant, and Kakashi, who had just entered the room. He slipped something purrple into his pocket before sitting down.

"Well, were actually from a place a long way away from here," Sota tried to explain.

"Oh? Why don't you tell us where? I'm sure I'd recognize it," Kakashi said, obviously skeptical.

"Well, err-"

"Hey, I think a more inportant question is why those snow ninja were attacking you guys," Mina interjected.

"They were after the princess," Kakashi said.

"Why are you calling her a princess? I mean, she's only a princess in the movies, right?" Jax said. Kakashi's eyes shifted away, and everyone suddenly blinked.

"Well, actually..." Kakashi began.

"Whaaaaat?!" they all said, jumping forward in their chairs.

"She's actually Koyuki Kazahana, princess and heir to throne of the Land of Snow," he finished.

"Wait, how do you know this?" Sakura asked.

"I was the one who saved her when the Land of Snow's ruler Sotsetzu Kazahana was overthrown by his younger brother. It would seem that returning to the Land of Snow wasn't the best idea," Kakashi said, directing his gaze over to the director.

"Under the circumstances, I would prefer to return to the Hidden Leaf Village for backup, but with Doto on our trail, that's not an option," Kakashi continued.

"We'll be fine," Sasuke said. "Besides, we have our new _friends_ here to help out."

"That won't be enough," Yukie, or Koyuki, said as she stood in the doorway. "Nothing can be done to stop Doto. This is all foolishness."

"That's not true! You're the last hope that the people of the Land of Snow have!" Naruto said angrily.

"There's no way," Koyuki said, turning her face away.

"Well, here's an opportunity you don't get every day: the opportunity to work with a real princess. The movie will go on as planned!" the director announced.

"What?!" Koyuki said in disbelief.

"And you can be sure this one will have a happy ending!" his assistant said. Koyuki turned her face away again and sighed.

"Fine, but I'll only act for the camera," she said sulkily.

* * *

Sota's and Naruto's group landed in the Land of Snow and traveled by train to the spot where they would be filming. Mina gazed out the window, her eyes resting on the blanket of snow covering the countryside.

"It's beautiful," she whispered.

"Yeah, it is," she heard a voice say. She turned her head as Sakura entered the room with two glasses of cocoa. She offered Mina some, who gladly accepted.

"So, why are you guys tagging along with us?" Sakura asked Mina.

"We're just...looking for something."

"Oh? What's that?" Sakura asked curiously.

"It's not important. Anyway, you guys are ninja, right?" Mina asked her.

"Yeah, that's right. How'd you know?"

Mina pulled out her kunai and laughed. "How else? I'm a ninja too."

"Oh," Sakura said laughing. "Yeah, Kakashi-sensei is a famous jonin, or expert ninja, and Naruto, Sasuke, and I are genin, or rookie ninja."

"Rookie ninja? I don't know, that Sasuke guy seemed pretty good to me," Mina said.

"Yeah..." Sakura said dreamily.

"You like him, huh?" Mina said.

"Yeah, he's just so dreamy! How about you? I thought you and Sota seemed pretty cute together."

"Ugh, no. I would never do anything with him," Mina said hastily.

"That's not what Jax said," Sakura said with a smug grin. Mina grinded her teeth.

"That loud-mouthed bastard..." she mumbled. Koyuki suddenly ran by the door, then turned back and shouted.

"Get away from me, you stalker!"

She turned and ran when Jax stopped in front of the door.

"I know we're a few years apart, but we can make it work!" he said before running after her. They heard a spray, a yell, and Jax suddenly stumbled back inside the room, rubbing his eyes frantically.

"Pepper spray. Touche," Mina said.

The train suddenly stopped, and the groupp went outside to look around.

* * *

"So this is the Land of Snow, huh?" Sota asked. Kakashi nodded.

"Be on the alert. Who knows what could happen."

"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura yelled, running up to them. "Yukie's run away!"

"What?" he said. "Fan out and look for her."

"Mina, Naruto, and I can go look for Yukie," Sota offered.

"All right, but we'll send out backup if you're not back in half an hour," Kakashi said. Naruto, Mina, and Sota nodded and ran down the slope to look for Koyuki.

* * *

"Is this the world?" Iselia asked. They were in an alley way of a large, untidy town with a reddish sky.

"Yeah, this is Rogue Town," Vesper said. (If you remember, Rogue Town was the world that Reyna and Co. first arrived in after leaving the Destiny Islands in Angel of Heart)

"Where do we go? Hmmm??" Rolan asked, hanging upside-down from the ledge above them.

"Probably best to start with a local tavern," Vesper said. They cqame out of the alleyway and looked around. The town's inhabitants seemed to be mostly pirates, thieves, and low-lifes.

"Hey, do you know where we can get a drink around here?" Vesper asked a nearby man.

"Yeah, the Wyvern's Tail is the most popular joint around here," he said, hooking a thumb to a nearby building. His gaze suddenly drifted over to Iselia, and his eyes gleamed.

"Hey, you're pretty cute," he said, looking her up and down. "Why don't you come with me?"

"Ohh? And where are you going?" asked Rolan with a grin.

"None of yer business, clown!" he sneered. Rolan's grin became disturbingly wide, and he tilted his head slightly.

"Is that so? I'm hurt. Really."

His eyes widened and turned yellow. The man backed away before his screams echoed down the street. Rolan flung the man's body into the alleyway and laughed.

"Anyone else?" he asked. Those people in the street turned and ran for their lives. Rolan laughed maliciously and took a step forward before Vesper grabbed his shoulder.

"That's enough," he said calmly.

Rolan's eyes returned to normal size and his psychotic smile went away.

"Okay."

Vesper led them to the Wyvern's Tail, where a large number of wanted posters lined the walls.

"He'll probably end up around here," Vesper said.

"No sh-"

Rolan coughed.

"Sherlock," she finished.

"Maybe the dominatrix thinks she should be leading the mission," Vesper said, crossing his arms with a small smirk.

"Oh you're really funny," she said, gripping her hands into fists.

"I think we may be attracting too much attention," Rolan said nonchalantly. The other two looked over as a muscular man with unruly silver hair, a cigarette in his mouth, leather gloves, and a white jacket opened to show his bare chest walk over.

"I think you may be new here," he said, grabbing Vesper by the collar "and we don't take kindly to strangers."

He blew a puff of smoke from his mouth in Vesper's face. The people in the tavern laughed until Vesper suddenly knocked the man back without moving. Everyone's eyes moved from the man slumped against the wall to Vesper, who was floating in the air with a blanket of wind around him.

"Who's next?" he asked, his scythe appearing in his hand. The people closest to the exits all took off, while the others went back to their business. Vesper descended and landed in between the other two.

"How unfortunate," a voice said at the bar behind them. "You took out the bounty I've been following."

"My apologies," Vesper said with a grin. "I guess I just don't know my own strength. He's all yours for the collecting."

"I don't like taking bounties if I didn't do the work myself," the man said quietly as he set his cup down.

"Raven Celes?" Vesper asked without turning to look.

"So you've heard of me," Raven said. Vesper smirked.

"We have an offer for you."

* * *

Naruto, Sota, and Mina stole through the snowy forest quietly so as to avoid unwanted attention.

"Do you see her?" Sota whispered.

"No...Oh wait! There she is!" Naruto said. They saw Koyuki a little way in front of them. She suddenly stumbled and fell down. The three landed around her.

"She's a lot of trouble, isn't she?" Mina said. Naruto didn't reply but stooped down and helped her up.

"Why do you keep coming for me?" Koyuki said. "I'll only run away again."

"Then I'll keep coming back for you," he said as he helped her onto his shoulders. All around them Shadow and Ninja (they look like bandit heartless but have kunai for weapons) Heartless suddenly popped up.

"Wh-what are those?" Naruto asked.

"The Heartless," Mina said, summoning her kunai.

"Hurry, get Koyuki to the others. We'll hold them off," Sota said, summoning his keyblade. Naruto hesitated a moment, then nodded and jumped away.

"Ready?" Mina asked, looking over at him as if issuing a challenge.

"Any time," he said with a smirk. "Just try to keep up, okay?"

He ran forward and slashed a Ninja as it jumped at him. Mina rolled her eyes and threw one of her kunai through a Shadow, then teleported to where it was and stabbed a Ninja.

_"No way I'll let him beat me."_

* * *

"So...what do you guys do for fun?" Jax asked Sakura.

"We''re ninja. We don't have fun," Sasuke said.

"Gee, what a stiff," Jax mumbled.

"Well, we just hang around mostly. Being a ninja doesn't leave that much time for social life," Sakura explained.

"Well your sensei seems to get the time to read some...interesting literature," Jax said. Sakura sighed.

"Him and his perverted novels," she complained.

"I can hear you. Now do you mind. I'm at the most exciting part," Kakashi interjected. She huffed and turned away annoyed. Suddenly darkness sprouted up around them as Ninja and Shadow Heartless appeared.

"Heartless," Jax growled. Sakura, Sasuke, and Kakashi stood next to him.

"How do you kill them?" Sasuke asked.

"Follow my lead," Jax said, gripping his buster sword.

Sota blocked an attack from a Ninja, then sliced through it. Two more came in from the side and jumped at him.

"Fire Pulse!" (fire spells in this story are like the ones from the first KH, but Sota's Fire Pulse is like the fire spells from the KH2)

A ring of fire shot around him and destroyed the Ninja. He looked over to where Mina was fighting. She had her kunai locked with another Ninja. She brought her left arm up and slashed through it. Another came behind her, but she kicked backward, knocking it away. Then with a flick of her wrist, she threw it through the Ninja's head.

"That's how you do it," she said, looking over at Sota. He crossed his arms and smirked.

"I'm pretty sure I was done before you," he said.

"That's because my fighting style is an art, not just clubbing things to death," she shot back. Sota's hand gripped into fists.

"What's your problem? Do you have some kind of grudge against me?" he yelled at her. She crossed her arms and laughed.

"If you think you're better than, prove it!"

Before he could reply, she jumped into the air and threw her one kunai at him. He summoned Brave Soul and knocked it to the side.

"Fira!"

He launched a fire spell at her, but she swiftly twisted her body in midair to avoid it and threw her other kunai at him. He jumped to the side as it grazed across his arm. She landed a short distance away as he clutched his now bleeding arm.

"Come on! We don't have time for this!" he shouted. She laughed at him.

"C'mon, you're better than that, right?"

His eyes widened as he recognized the voice and the quote.

**"C'mon, you're better than that, right?"**

"Y-you...You're the other voice!" he said. She looked at him strangely.

"What are you talking about?"

Sota was about to explain when he got a strange flash. He suddenly dove at Mina and knocked her back. As they spun back through the air a kunai with a small blue crystal attached landed in the ground where they were once standing, sending huge ice spikes shattering upward. Mina pushed Sota off of her after they landed in the snow.

"What was that?" she asked.

"I don't know," Sota said, looking upward. He saw a zeppelin flying toward where the rest of the gang where.

"But I have a feeling it's not good," he finished.

* * *

"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"

Sasuke shot a series of small fireballs from his mouth, which crashed into the nearby Shadows. Jax blocked a kunai thrown by a nearby Ninja, then sliced it in half. With a sigh he rested his sword on his shoulder.

"Nicely done," he said with a smile. He suddenly heard sounds from behind them. He turned and saw Naruto with Koyuki reach the ridge where they were standing.

"I found her!" Naruto said. He placed her down and walked over to the others. The zeppelin suddenly ascended above the ridge. Koyuki screamed as Mizorai's metal hand shot from the ship and clamped down on her, yanking her into the air.

"Look out!" Kakashi called. Fubuki flew above them and tossed down dozens of kunai with blue crystals attached, causing giant ice crystals to shoot up from the ground where they landed.

"Jax!" Sota called, running up the slope.

"Hey, you two!" he shouted, waving to them.

"Where's Naruto?" Sakura asked. They looked up to see him throw a kunai with a rope attached around a rail on the zeppelin.

"Naruto, wait!" Sota said. He grabbed onto the rope as the ship took off, carrying the two of them away.

"Damn it! Now what?" Jax said. Mina sighed.

"We lost her."

* * *

**Nightshroud:** Hope you liked the chapter! I liked doing the parts with the villains too. Hehe I just decided on Rolan's backstory. Pretty good too if I may say so myself. Anyway I decided to come up with voice actors for the OCs. Here they are. If you have any suggestions, let me know anyone you think would make a better voice and I'll consider it.

Sota- Matthew Erickson (Van Flyheight from Zoids Chaotic Century)

Jax- Tony Sampson (Tori Avalon from Card Captors)

Mina- Jillian Bowen (Fuu from Kingdom Hearts 2)

Vesper- Johnny Yong Bosch (Genma from Naruto and Ichigo from Bleach)

Iselia- Stephanie Sheh (Kin Tsuchi from Naruto)

Rolan- Brian Beacock (Sakon and Ukon from Naruto)

Marsilio- Keith Silverstein (Kimimaro from Naruto)

Karashi- Ogie Banks (Karashi from the Naruto filler Raiga Arc)

Next chapter: **The Rainbow Glacier**


	12. A Failed Rescue

**Chapter XII: A Failed Rescue**

* * *

**Nightshroud:** Okay, so I lied. I mananged to squeeze in one more chapter. How coincidental, Mr Fipp. Tayuya was my favorite of the Sound Five too! 8D I absolutely love her. I disagree on Kimimaro though. He was my least favorite. For me it was Tayuya, then Kidomaru, then Sakon, then Jirobo, then Kimimaro. And don't even get me started on that traitorous bastard Sasuke...Anyway, here's the next chapter.

* * *

With a groan, Sota threw himself inside the ship.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Sota looked up to see dozens of Naruto's standing around.

"All right, let's go save the Princess!" one said. The others cheered and ran into the hallway.

_"He's going to get himself caught,"_ Sota thought with a sigh. He hid around the corner to see Fubuki appear and defeat Naruto and his clones in moments. Sota looked to see another Naruto slip out of the shadows and sneak down the hallway.

_"I better keep a low profile and see what happens,"_ Sota thought, watching from his hiding place.

* * *

"You've grown quite beautiful, Koyuki," Doto said to Koyuki as she sat on a comfortable seat at a table in the zeppelin. She turned her face away and stared out the window.

"Tell me, little princess, do you have the Hex Crystal with you?" he continued.

"Yes," she replied after a moment.

"Good," he said. "It is the sole remaining link to the Kazahana Clan, and the key to opening the door to- well, nevermind."

"The key? To what?" Koyuki asked.

"A while after I wrested control of this country from your fathers hands, and interesting individual told me of a pathway to unimaginable power, called the Keyhole. And after searching for many years, I finally found it. It is hidden deep within the Rainbow Glacier. The Hex Crystal is needed to access the Keyhole. Once I find the power inside of it, our country can attain power over the Five Great Nations."

"Not gonna happen!" came a shout. They both turned to see Naruto standing in the doorway.

"You!" Koyuki said.

"How did you get in here?" Doto demanded.

"Never underestimate a ninja!" Naruto said with a grin. Doto and Koyuki stood silently for a moment when suddenly wires descended around Naruto and tied him up. Mizorai leaped from the upper balcony and knocked Naruto on the back of the head. Naruto dropped to the ground with a thump. The door behind Mizorai suddenly opened and Fubuki stood in the doroway with about twenty of Naruto's shadow clones tied up.

"My apologies," said Nadare, dropping down to kneel to the side of Doto, "As you can see, the runt was kind of a handful."

"Well, he knows the Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu," Doto said with a hint of amusement.

"I don't know who this brat is, but his level of chakra is nothing to sniff at," Mizorai said. Nadare looked at Doto.

"What do you think? Might be a good time to try out that new contraption."

"He would make for an interesting test subject," Doto said as a panel in the wall slid open. Nadare took the electric device and slammed it into Naruto's stomach.

"What are you doing to him?" Koyuki asked.

"We're cleansing him of his chakra. That device will absorb it and store it in his body and bind it within a powerful barrier. Once it's been activated it cannot be broken or destroyed, no matter what."

Naruto dropped to the ground, weakened. All of his shadow clones suddenly poofed away.

"Now then, I'll take the Hex Crystal if you don't mind," Doto said. Koyuki reached around her neck and unclasped the necklace holding the Hex Crystal, placing the chain in his hand. He gazed at it with great pleasure, but his expression suddenly went sour.

"What is this?" he said, grabbing her by the neck of her coat, "This isn't a game! Do you think I don't know this is a fake?!"

Koyuki stared at in confusion, until she remembered Kakashi holding the Hex Crystal in her room while she was asleep after the battle on the iceberg.

"Kakashi Hatake," she whispered.

"Makes sense," Nadare agreed. "Kakashi's a shrewd one. I wouldn't put it past him to pull a bait and switch."

"Don't even worry about it. We'll have him rounded up in no time," Fubuki added.

"That won't be necessary," Doto said, throwing Koyuki back. "Why even bother? The man will show up on his own soon enough. Until then, we just have to wait."

He laughed and smashed the fake crystal in his hand.

Naruto woke up in chains tied to the ceiling. He immediately went to work trying to get them off. Koyuki sat in the cell across from him, growing more and more impatient with his furious clanking. When he tried to exert some chakra, the device on his stomach immediately sent a painful shock through his body.

"Terrific. I don't have any power," he groaned. Koyuki looked over at him and returned her head to its resting place on her crossed arms holding her legs.

"You said spring never comes to this land. What did you mean?" Naruto asked her.

"My father told me that if I believed, spring would come. But it never did. My father died, and I stopped believing. I was always running, always lying to people, but mostly I was just lying to myself. My life has been one big charade. Becoming an actress was about the only thing I was cut out for in this world."

Naruto didn't reply. Then he again went to work, pulling a small file from his shoe to saw at the chains.

"That's not going to change anything, you know," Koyuki said sullenly from her cell. Naruto didn't reply, but kept sawing until the file accidentally dropped from his mouth.

"Told you," she said.

"I bet giving up is a lot easier," he said finally. "No one ever cared about me before, and I just tried to blow it off. It was still pretty rough. I used to think there was no place in this world for me, but I still found friends. I kept at it and didn't give up, and good things happened. When you give up, your dreams and everything else...they're gone!"

He continued to struggle, but to no avail. The device began to shock him worse, and he cried out in pain.

"Stop!" she cried. Naruto continued to fight against his bonds.

"Your father, and all the people of the Land of Snow...I'm gonna show you that they weren't wrong!"

Koyuki watched in amazment as Naruto finally managed to break the chains and fell to the floor. He managed to stagger up to the door, but was thrown back with a jolt from the door.

"Looks like you need a little help," said a voice. Naruto looked up to see Sota standing outside the cell.

"Sota," Naruto mumbled. Sota smiled and aimed his keyblade at the cell door. A shaft of light shot from the tip of his keyblade and into the lock, and it swung open for him.

"What took you so long?" Naruto said with a weak laugh. Sota rolled his eyes and aimed his keyblade at Koyuki's cell, freeing her.

"C'mon, let's go," Sota said.

A series of explosions suddenly rocked Doto's fortress. A snow ninja came before Doto's throne.

"We're under attack!" he said.

"Kakashi, so you're here at last. And right on time."

* * *

Naruto, Sota, and Koyuki ran to the nearest elevator and got in. It took them up several stories and let them out. Naruto grabbed Koyuki's hand and pulled her with Sota bringing up the rear. They stopped suddenly as a snow ninja dropped in front of them. Naruto was about to attack when the figure threw off his clothes, revealing Kakashi underneath.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Sorry for taking so long," he told Naruto. "You look well, Princess," he directed to Koyuki.

"Yeah. You switched my Hex Crystal for a fake without telling me, didn't you?" she said.

"Yeah, I aplogize for that. But I figured that this is what he was after," he said, placing it in her palm.

"All this trouble for this thing," she whispered, looking at it. They suddenly heard a crash and guards fall into the doorway.

"Heh, those guys didn't know what hit 'em!"

"Jax!" Sota said. Mina, Sakura, and Sasuke followed behind him.

"This place is crawling with guards," Sakura said as the four of them ran toward Naruto, Sota, Kakashi, and Koyuki.

"This way," Koyuki said, leading them down the hallway. Suddenly Heartless appeared around them.

"Not this again," Sasuke sighed. Mina raised her hands.

"Thundara!"

She cast a lightning spell that destroyed the Heartless around them.

"You know, you look cute when you're fighting," Jax told her with a grin.

"Back off," she said, follwoing after the others. Koyuki led them into the middle of Doto's throne room, and the lights suddenly went on. Doto stood up with a laugh.

"Doto!" Kakashi said.

"Well done, Koyuki," Doto said. All fo them turned to look at Koyuki, who then surprised them all by running up to Doto and placing the Hex Crystal in his hand.

"Wait," Kakashi said, running forward, but the three Snow Ninja appeared in front of the steps, blocking their way.

"This shouldn't be a surprise to any of you. I mean, really, I _am_ an actress."

"And to think I used to admire you," Jax said with a sniff. Mina rolled her eyes.

"There you have it. Another brilliant performance by the great Yukie Fukikaze," Doto said. Sota felt anger rise up inside of him for helping out a traitor, but he was surprised as she suddenly pulled out a knife.

"That's right. It was all an act!" she said stabbing him with it. "I told you, didn't I? I'm an actress!"

"You wretched-" he began, grabbing her by the throat.

"Princess!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Naruto, I always knew that if I returned to the Land of Snow, that I was going to die here. At least I could stop running before the end, thanks to you."

"No, cause all you're doing is running! Don't throw away your life like this!" Sota exclaimed.

"I'm sorry...father..."

Everyone watched in horror as Koyuki fell into Doto, pushing them both off the ledge. They both crashed into the ground.

"Koyuki!" Naruto cried. Naruto ran at her, but Doto stood and punched him away.

"You really thought you could kill me with this little toy?" he said, taking off his robe to reveal black chakra armor beneath. He grabbed Koyuki and held her in his arm.

"Come, let us go, Koyuki...beyond the rainbow."

He extended the wings from his armor and flew into the air as Naruto threw a rope around Koyuki's arm. The snow ninja and the keyblade group made a quick escape as the building collapsed around them. Doto noticed Koyuki holding onto the rope that Naruto was dangling from and quickly turned and cut it loose, dropping Naruto to the ground below.

"Naruto!" Koyuki screamed.

Doto laughed and flew away toward the Rainbow Glacier. Naruto got up and staggered after them.

"Cura!"

Naruto instantly felt all his wounds heal, and he looked over to see Sota standing there with Brave Soul.

"C'mon, let's get going," Sota said. Naruto smiled and nodded.

**Nightshroud:** Hope you liked the chapter! Next chapter wil be all the big fights, so get excited! Well I hope you don't get too sad, but this will definitely be the last chapter until I take my finals (this coming Thursday and Friday), but after them I will be sure to update right away. Review and let me know how you liked it.

Next chapter: **Beyond the Rainbow**


	13. Beyond the Rainbow

**Chapter XIII: Beyond the Rainbow**

* * *

**Nightshroud:** I finished with finals! Wooh! And my graduation is on Sunday! 8D My History, Chemistry, and Language finals were easy, but my Calculus final was a bitch. Ugh. And I'm the smartest in my class too. I feel _their_ pain. Anyway, on we go!

* * *

Sasuke, Sakura, Jax, and Mina ran through the woods as Fubuki's kunai hit the ground around them, causing giant ice spikes to errupt out of the ground.

"Split up!" Sasuke said. Sasuke and Mina veered off to the right, and Jax and Sakura kept on straight.

"Sakura, duck!" Jax said. He pushed her to the ground as Fubuki whizzed over them, turning to chase Sasuke and Mina.

"Give it up! It's useless!" said Mizore, riding his snowboard toward Sakura. He suddenly turned as Jax rammed him from the side, knocking him off his board.

"Air Hammer!"

Jax threw his fist forward, which glowed a faint white-blue. Even though his fist didn't make contact, Mizore was hit all over his body by a series of powerful punches. Mizore staggered back, and turned as he saw Sakura open her cloak and reveal dozens of kunai with bags attached. Sakura began throwing them at Mizore, though the kunai only broke and released the contents of the bags.

"Come on, don't make me laugh!" he said. Sakura ignored him and kept throwing the kunai at him. Mizore looked up in surprise when he noticed that the contents of the bag where tiny pieces of paper with seals on them.

"Sakura Blizzard Jutsu. Enjoy!" she said, throwing a kunai with a paper bomb attached. The explosion from the kunai set off a chain of explosions from the small tags, causing a huge erruption.

Fubuki was thrown back from the impact of the explosion, but used her wings to balance herself out. She saw a kunai fly at her, but she veered to the side as it passed by her.

"Instant Light!"

Mina suddenly appeared behind her and slashed at Fubuki's back, slicing her wings off. Fubuki pushed her away and landed on a branch before kicking off it and throwing some icicle-causing kunai.

"You're dealing with the ninja of the Snow here. It'll take more than that to bring us down," she said tauntingly. Suddenly Sasuke appeared behind her in the air.

"You're probably right."

Fubuki gasped in shock as Sasuke grabbed her back and threw her downward.

"Lion's Barrage!"

He punched her stomach, then kicked her in the chest, then kicked her downward. Mizore stumbled out from the explosion when he saw Fubuki hurtling toward him. Before he could move, the two collided in a flash of purple light. An explosion came from their armor and the two fell to the ground, unmoving.

"What just happened?" Jax asked, scratching his neck.

"Gosh, I don't really know," Sakura said.

"It must be the barriers from the armor colliding with each other," Sasuke said.

"In any case, we'd better hurry. Naruto and Sota are probably at the glacier already," Mina said. The others nodded and they took off.

* * *

Kakashi and Nadare stood facing off on a cliff above them.

"You know you don't stand a chance. Maybe you outta just run like last time!" Nadare taunted.

"I don't have a choice, do I? At least I can show you one of my original techniques," Kakashi said. He held his hand in front of him, and blue energy channeled from all around him, forming lightning in the palm of his hand. Nadare formed a series of handsigns.

"Lightning Blade!"

"Wolf Fang Avalanche!"

Kakashi ran forward at Nadare as the snow on the slope above them began to fall and form into vicious wolves. One lunged for Kakashi, but he jumped over it.

"How did you-" Nadare began.

Another wolf jumped straight in Kakashi's path, but Kakashi thrust his Lightning Blade forward and blazed through it into Nadare, knocking him back and shattering his armor.

"That was pretty good. You almost had me there," Nadare said. Suddenly the avalanche he had started swept them both off the side. As Nadare was falling head-first, Kakashi appeared behind him and grabbed him from behind.

"What are you-"

"Even without ninjutsu and genjutsu, a ninja always has taijutsu! You rely too much on this armor!" Kakashi said. The two plummeted to the ground with a crash. Kakashi jumped away unharmed, but all that could be seen of Nadare were his hi slegs sticking straigh into the air, which promptly collasped. Kakashi turned and ran toward the glacier.

* * *

Koyuki kneeled on the cold snowy ground while Doto stood beside her.

"This is it. We've come here after all, I guess."

They were in the Rainbow Glacier. A small shrine stood in the middle of the valley with large, towering structures like walls surrounding it. Doto walked past Koyuki and inserted the Hex Crystal into a hexagonal pattern in the shrine. It suddenly glowed and sent out beams of light, forming a snow-flake shaped pattern along the ice crystals on the ground. A shape appeared in the middle, and the Keyhole became visible. The towering structures also began to glow, illuminating the entire glacier. A hissing sound became audible and suddenly the ice began to slowly melt.

"It's so warm," Koyuki whispered.

"A heat generator?" Doto asked. "No matter. I have all I need here."

He approached the Keyhole when they heard a voice.

"Koyuki!"

Doto turned angrily to see Naruto and Sota racing toward them.

"Naruto! Sota!" Koyuki said. Doto growled and performed a seroes of handsigns.

"Ice Style: Black Dragon Blizzard!"

A blast shot from Doto's fist like dragon-shaped smoke and flew at Naruto and Sota.

"Naruto!" Koyuki shouted.

"Reflega!" Sota said. The dragon crashed into the shield, and in a flash was flying toward Doto. He jumped to the side as it flew past him and crashed into the ground.

"What's wrong? That the best you can do?" Sota said with a smirk. Doto snapped his fingers and Heartless appeared.

"I don't have time for you," Doto said, turning his back to them. He walked toward the Keyhole and put his hand out. Slowly, darkness began to seep out of it.

"We've got to stop him," Sota said, turning to Naruto.

"Don't have to tell me twice!" Naruto said with a grin. He held up his fingers in a cross shape.

"Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Twenty Narutos appeared all around.

"Go get him!" Naruto, all of them, said. Sota nodded and ran toward Doto as Naruto and his clones began to fight the Heartless.

"Hey, Doto!" Sota shouted. Doto turned as a fire spell slammed into him, knocking him back.

"Make time!" Sota said.

"You little brat!"

Doto swung at Sota, but Sota dodged to the side as the punch cracked the ice around him. Sota swung his keyblade and bashed Doto from the side, knocking him back.

"Ice Style: Black Dragon Blizzard!"

Doto shot another blast of dragon-like smoke at Sota, this time hitting him dead-on. He flew backward, crashing into a pile of snow. He groaned and forced himself up.

"Well, _that_ hurt."

Doto laughed and walked toward him. Sota smirked and held his keyblade out.

"Clone Combo Mirage!"

He ran full-speed at Doto and jumped into the air at him, but Doto raised his arms to block Sota's attack. On contact with Doto, Sota faded away.

"What?" Doto gasped, lowering his arms. Suddenly the real Sota came through the air and kicked Doto in the face, sending him sprawling to the ground. Doto got up with a growl and backhanded Sota, throwing him against a wall.

"Hey, leave him alone!"

Doto turned to see Naruto and a group of his clones running at him.

"Take this!"

The Naruto in the lead threw a punch at Doto, but Doto grabbed him and swung him around, tossing him into a few other Naruto's that all disappeared in a puff of smoke. Another came at him from the side, but he turned and kicked it, sending it flying into the other clones. The real Naruto came at him from the air, but Doto jumped back to avoid it, then swung his fast and slammed Naruto through the ice.

"Naruto!" Sota called out. Naruto, however, was close to unconsciousness, so Sota's voice barely registered deep in his mind as he sank depper into the cold water. Sota crawled over to the hole and looked down.

"Naruto..." Koyuki whispered. Doto smiled in satisfaction and turned back toward the keyhole.

"Now then, where was I?"

Suddenly the water in the hole glowed red, and hundreds of Narutos shot out of the water. Doto turned and growled in anger.

"Ice Style: Twin Dragon Blizzard!"

Two smoke-like dragons shot out of the ground toward the Narutos in the air. They ripped through the group, the clones disappearing right and left. Doto laughed as the last of the clones disappeared when Sota suddenly swiped at him with Brave Soul and knocked him back. Doto punched at him, but Sota brought up his key and stood locked with Doto.

"Now, Naruto!"

Doto turned in surprise to see a clone channeling blue chakra into Naruto's hand. The clone disappeared as Naruto ran toward Doto. Sota took the opportunity to strike at Doto, damaging his armor. Doto turned on him and punched him, throwing him back. Doto turned in time to see Naruto just a few feet away.

"Hey, Sota!"

Sota looked up to see Jax, Mina, Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi on the slope above.

"Look!" Mina said, pointing at Naruto. The chakra in his hand began to change color, swirling like a rainbow.

"It's rainbow chakra! Just like in Koyuki's movie!" Sakura exclaimed. Naruto charged up to Doto and slammed the rainbow- colored energy into his chest.

"Rasengan!"

Doto was thrown backward through the air and smashed into one of the heat generators, lingering in the air a moment before crashing into the ground. The snow in the valley suddenly melted, and grass and flowers suddenly sprouted up. Sota walked over to the keyhole and aimed his keyblade down. A shaft of light shot from the tip, and a locking sound could be heard.

"That takes care of that!" Sota said. Jax and Mina walked over and stood next to him as a recording of a young Koyuki and her father appeared.

"Let's leave her to her memories," Sota said. He and Jax walked off, while Mina stayed a moment, smiling sadly.

* * *

"Well the gummi ship made it," Jax said as they stood in the center of the Land of Snow's palace. Koyuki was signing autographs while Kakashi, Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto were inspecting an embarrassing picture of Naruto with Koyuki's autograph.

"Well, we should probably get going," Sota said. Naruto looked up.

"Oh, you guys are leaving?" he asked. Sota nodded.

"Yeah, we have other things we need to do."

"Thank you for all your helo," Koyuki said, walking over.

"No problem," Jax said, taking her hand and kissing it. Mina smacked him on the head.

"Geez! What was that for?" he asked, rubbing his head.

"Idiot.." she mumbled. Suddenly they heard people gasp, and a portal opened up behind Koyuki. The figure who was with the other snow ninja before stepped out. He was wearing a sleeveless purple shirt with red border and high collar and purple pants. His upper arms and torso up to his neck were covered in white bandages. and he had black sandals (like the ones Naruto wears) and a black fingerless glove on his right hand. His hair was brown and slightly messy and was pulled into a ponytail in the back. His face was covered with a mask black zigzagging lines on the left side.

"So, you guys are the ones who beat Doto, huh?" he asked. Jax blinked in surprise.

"Hey, this guy can't beat much older than me! And he's shorter too!"

Jax began to laugh, and the stranger stomped his foot in a childish manner.

"Hey! Quit it!"

Jax stopped a moment, then burst out laughing harder than before. Mina just rolled her eyes.

"Look, if you're trying to make an intimidating impression, it isn't working."

The stranger held out his right hand, and dark grey energy swirled in front of his hand to form a large shuriken.

"You won't be laughing when I'm done with you!"

* * *

**Nightshroud:** Next chapter is another fight with one of the Tainted! A lot of other stuff too, but no new worlds, at least not till the chapter after that. Anyway, hope you liked it! Review and let me know.

Next chapter: **One Step Closer**


	14. One Step Closer

********

Chapter XIV: One Step Closer

* * *

**Nightshroud:** Okay, so I officially graduated high school! And as valedictorian! Wooh! Well anyway, I'll have lots of time now to update. By the way, Karashi's Windmill Shuriken looks like the one Sasuke uses okay? And Jax's sword looks like Auron's from KH2. Also, as in the game, reflect spells are a temporary-all-around shield. Protect spells are only act as shield on one side of a person (much like Riku's Dark Shield ability in KH2). With all that said, on we go!

* * *

The new enemy held his shuriken at his side.

"I'm Karashi, one of the seven Tainted. And I'm going to show you the power of my Windmill Shuriken!"

He threw his shuriken at Sota, who held up his keyblade.

"Reflera!"

The shuriken hit the shield and was thrown back, but Karashi caught it in midair and swiped at Sota. Sota brought up Brave Soul and blocked it.

"Sasuke and Naruto, get everyone in the area to safety," Kakashi ordered.

"But what about Koyuki!" Naruto protested.

"I'll look after her," Sakura assured him. He nodded and followed after Sasuke. Karashi jumped back and snapped his fingers. Ninja Heartless appeared around. Kakashi pulled out a kunai and began to slice through them.

"You and Jax take this guy out. I'll help out Kakashi," Mina said. The other two nodded. Karashi jumped into the air and threw his shuriken.

"Thousand Shadow Shuriken!"

His shuriken began to replicate in midair till there were too many to count. Jax stuck his sword in the ground and put his hands together.

"Terra Shield!"

The earth in front of him flipped up in front of him like a wall. The shuriken in front of them imbedded in it, while the others hit around. Karashi suddenly appeared at the top of the wall and jumped at Jax, kicking him in the face. Jax fell backward, and Karashi jumped at him. Sota jumped in front of Jax and aimed his keyblade at Karashi.

"Fira!"

A fireball launched fromt he tip of his keyblade and smacked into Karashi, knocking him against the earth wall. Sota jumped at him and slashed, but Karashi jumped out of the way and sliced him across the back, then kicked him away. Jax ran up and kicked Karashi in the back, knocking him to the floor. He grabbed his sword and swung down at Karashi. Karashi jumped out of the way and threw his Windmill Shuriken at Jax, but Jax brought his buster sword up to block it. Sota came up and sliced at him, but Karashi used a spell.

"Protera!"

A shield came between Karashi and Sota's keyblade, protecting him. Karashi swiped across Sota's arm as the shield disappeared, then punched him back.

"Take this!"

Karashi threw his shuriken at Sota. Sota dodged to the side, then threw his keyblade at Karashi.

"Strike Raid!"

The keyblade struck Karashi in the chest and knocked him back. Karashi stood up and rubbed himself.

"Hey, that hurt!"

Jax and Sota looked at each other and sweatdropped.

"What a brat," Jax mumbled.

"I heard that!" he said. Sota aimed his keyblade and shot another fire spell at Karashi. Karashi jumped back and began to spin around, his shuriken outstretched. A whirlwind formed around him, and he let go of his shuriken, which began to orbit in the middle of it.

"Shadow Shuriken Windmill!"

The whirlwind began moving toward them, ripping up the terrain.

"Fira!"

Sota launched a fire spell at the whirlwind, but it was only absorbed, becoming a large flaming whirlwind. Jax slapped his face to his hand.

"_That_ helped," Jax mumbled.

Sota rubbed the back of his neck bashfully.

"Woops."

Jax sighed and pushed Sota out of the way.

"Let me handle this."

Jax raised his sword up and smirked at Karashi.

"You ready for this?"

He slammed his sword to the ground.

"Earth Glaive!"

Giant rock spikes shot out of the ground in a line straight for the whirlwind. A spike stabbed through it and knocked the shuriken away, dissipating the whirlwind.

"No way!" Karashi gasped. The rocks spikes continued at him until one struck him. He jumped back, wobbled, then dropped to one knee.

"Give up?" Sota asked, brandishing his keyblade. Karashi winced and stood, backing away.

"I'll go..." he said as he turned, "but I'm talking someone along for the ride!"

He shoved past Sakura and grabbed Koyuki.

"He's kidnapping Koyuki!" Mina exclaimed. They ran forward at him, but with a smug chuckle he opened a portal and jumped through, dragging Koyuki with him.

"Naruto!" she cried, struggling against him. Naruto and Sasuke heard and ran toward the commotion.

"Koyuki!" he yelled. He looked at saw Karashi pulling her into the portal.

"Koyuki!"

The portal closed behind him as Sota and the others rushed up.

"They're gone..." Jax said. Sota growled and threw Brave Soul to the ground.

"Damn it!" he yelled. The keyblade vanished and appeared in his hand. He sighed and called it away.

"I'm sorry," he said, turning to Naruto and the others. Naruto had his head down, gripping his fists.

"I'll get that guy for this!" he yelled, looking up.

"Calm down, Naruto," Kakashi yelled, placing a hand on his shoulder. Naruto yanked away, but Sakura ran up and grabbed his arms.

"Listen to him, Naruto," she said. He sighed and looked away.

"Don't worry. We'll find her. I promise," Sota said. Naruto looked up and nodded.

"That's a promise."

* * *

"First Zhao, now Doto. Our list of allies is growing thin," am inhuman, feminine voice said. The speaker was small like a doll, and wearing a dress with long blond hair, but had an evil face and was actually male.

"Zhao was weak-hearted, and Doto was consumed by his own greed. They weren't necessary," Diana replied.

"I hope we're not all disposable to you," a male voice said. He had long black hair and red eyes, and didn't seem human, with the tentacles and spikes coming out of his body.

"Not as long as you do your job," Diana said.

"That's comforting," said another male voice. This figure had shoulder length black hair and a large golden hook on his left hand (this is NOT Captain Hook btw). A portal opened and Karashi stumbled out.

"You look like hell," Vesper commented dryly from the side where the rest of Diana's suboridnates were.

"You lost, didn't you?" Diana asked coldly.

"Figures. Little rat," Iselia spat.

"Hey, I brought the Princess, didn't I?" Karashi said, pulling Koyuki forward. Diana smiled slightly beneath her mask and looked to the figure behind her. He smiled and stepped forward.

"Excellent. This just brings us one step forward toward our goal."

* * *

Sota, Jax, and Mina sat in the gummi ship.

"Well, I guess we'd better turn in and get some sleep," Sota said, standing up. "The ship has four bedrooms, so take your pic."

Mina didn't respond as she stared out the window. Jax looked over at Sota and shrugged.

"Are you going to stay here with Jax, or go to bed with me?" he asked. He suddenly stopped, and Mina turned to look at him, both of their faces heating up. Jax snickered.

"Awkwaaaaard."

Both of them turned away and huffed angrily.

"Anway, who said I'm not getting sleep?" Jax said. "I'll just put the ship on standby."

Jax stood up and stretched, then walked into the nearest room. Sota and Mina looked at each other, then turned and walked into two of the other rooms, ignoring each other.

* * *

"Well, Queen Diana seemed happy, as did _he_," Vesper said. Iselia nodded.

"Of course. We got one of the princesses, and more of the plan is falling into place."

Marsilio walked up suddenly and eyed the two of them.

"I understand your mission was a success?" he asked. Vesper nodded.

"What of it?" Iselia retorted.

"Well is he looking after it?" Marsilio persisted.

"Everything's going according to plan," Vesper said. Marsilio regarded them a moment, then turned and left. A scream suddenly rang out from outside the castle.

"Looks like Rolan's having his fun," Vesper said, glancing out the window. Iselia sighed.

"This group is a bunch of effing psychos."

* * *

Mina awoke suddenly, tears running down her face.

"Dad..." she managed to choke out. She leaned forward and hugged her knees to her chest, sobbing quietly. The quiet and darkness of the room seemed to stifle her, and she got off the bed and quickly walked to the door, swinging it open and stepping blindly out. She ran into something, and looked up to see Jax looking at her worriedly.

"Mina? You all right?"

Mina suddenly felt her defenses break down, and she suddenly buried her face in his chest and began to sob. Jax felt awkward for a moment, but then wrapped his arms around her. The warmth of his body and the steady beating of his heart helped calm her down. Jax let go of her as she stepped back and looked away.

"Sorry about that," she said, wiping her eyes.

"Hey, no problem. I'm always here, you know," he said with a smile. She looked at him suspiciously.

"Are you making a move on me?" she asked.

"If you want me to," he said, stepping closer. She was about to retort when she saw Sota's door open and him lean out. Before Sota could ask what was going on, she reached up and stroked Jax's chin.

"Any time," she whispered loud enough for Sota to hear. She turned and walked back to her room, avoiding eye contact with Sota. When her door closed, Sota turned and looked at Jax.

"What was that about?" he asked, an accusing hint to his voice. Jax raised his eyebrows.

"I think she likes me," he said with a grin, walking over to his room. Sota turned and shut his door, gripping the doorknob still. He replayed the scene in his mind, and felt a strange twinge in his heart.

"Am I...jealous?"

* * *

**Nightshroud:** Next chapter is an original world. I've been excited for this one. Anyway, lots of drama in this chapter, no? Hehe I bet your all wondering about the back-and-forth pairing. Well, trust me. I have something in mind. Well I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Leave a ncie review!

Next chapter: **Darkness Vale**


	15. Darkness Vale

********

Chapter XV: Darkness Vale

* * *

**Nightshroud:** Good eye, Mr Fipp! Yep, that was Crocodile. Any guesses as to the other two? And thanks for the congrats, Scorch406. Much appreciated. 8D You know, I don't think I ever described what Brave Soul looks like. It has the basic shape of Wishing Lamp. The shaft and keychain are silver. At the tip of the shaft is an intricately-shaped red heart. Above the hilt on the shaft is a red plume shape. It's handle is like the original Ultima Weapon's, but is silver with light red streaks. The keychain is a red heart with a sword running through it.

* * *

Sota stretched and rolled over. Something was bothering him in his consciousness, but he couldn't figure out what it was. He groggily opened his eyes when he noticed what it was.

"An alarm?"

He opened the door to his room and ran toward the cockpit. Jax and Mina were already there.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"I guess I didn't lock the controls like I thought," Jax said sheepishly.

"And the ship drifted too close to this world, so now we're falling into the atmosphere," Mina added, with a sharp look at Jax.

"Oh great. Can we ever have a normal landing?" Sota sighed.

* * *

Two figures stood back to back in the square of a large city. Whether it was night or the city was just in perpetual darkness was unknown. Both figures were male. One had short black hair and grayish-blue eyes. He had black pants and a white long sleeved shirt with an open light blue vest, which had a white collar. The other had long brown hair and black eyes. He was wearing black pants, a black short sleeve shirt, and a white jacket that only came half way down his torso. On his right hand was a black glove with a metal plate, and on his left wrist was tied a piece of red cloth (I'll explain that later).

"I don't think we've ever had to fight this many before," the black-haired one said. The other figure laughed.

"Relax, Bastion. Sheer numbers has never stopped us from doing what we had to."

Bastion smiled faintly. "Your determination is inspiring, Atticus."

The Shadows crawled closer, and the two summoned their keyblades to their hands. Atticus summoned Black Eclipse, a black keyblade shaped like Star Seeker, but only had a moon at the tip and no star. The hilt didn't have wings, but was instead shaped like two crescent moons. The keychain was a balck circle, with just the edge white. Bastion summoned White Haze, a white keyblade. The length above the hilt was split (like Oathkeeper) and it ended in the shape of a white swirl, almost like a cloud. The hilt was two white wings with hints of light blue in it and gold tips at the end. The keychain was a cloud.

"Then let's go," Atticus said. Bastion nodded, and they leaped at the Heartless. Bastion jumped into the air and began spinning like a blinding arc.

"Lunarsault!"

He shot at a group of shadows and cut through them before slashing downward and sending off a slicing shockwave in front of him. A Neoshadow attacked him from behind, but he gracefully dodged it and swung his keyblade through it. He backflipped as Darkballs appeared behind him. He dodged one in midair, then swung his keyblade around in a series of arcs. The Darkballs all dissipated instantly.

Meanwhile Atticus was attacking his fair shair of Heartless. A Shadow leaped at him from the air, but he jumped up and stabbed through it, then threw his keyblade straight through another Shadow. He ran and pulled it fromt he ground before slicing the head off of a Neoshadow. Another Neoshadow came from behind, and without turning he stabbed his keyblade through it. Two Shadows came at him from the side as he lifted his hands.

"Shroud!"

A dark blotch seemed to appear behind him, and he sank into it, disappearing with him. The Heartless looked around until Atticus appeared int he middle of them in a whirlwind of darkness, slashing through all of them. A Darball flew at him, but Atticus formed a shield in front of himself.

"Dark Shield!"

The Darkball collided into the shield, and Atticus was able to stab through it with ease. A Shadow lunged at his leg, but he twisted in time to avoid it and kicked it through the air.

"Luminescence!"

Atticus turned around to see Bastion encircled by a ball of light, which then exploded outward in a powerful blast. Atticus jumped next to Bastion, and the two again stood back to back as more Heartless appeared.

"There's too many," Bastion said.

"Then are you up to using it?" Atticus asked. Bastion nodded. Both held their keyblades up. Atticus's Dark Eclipse glowed silver at the tip, and Bastion's White Haze glowed gold. The energy fro,m the tips shot together up into the sky, then cam down as a rain of energy, destroying all the Heartless around. Around the two formed a heart shaped (like in the Deep Dve secret video from the first KH where Roxas fights those Neoshadows in the World that Never Was) moon.

"Hazy Moon!"

* * *

The gummi ship crashed through the building of what seemed like an abandoned office building. Jax rubbed his head and looked out the window that they had come through.

"Hey, guys. Check out this spook town."

Sota stood and offered his hand to Mina, but she brushed him off and helped herself up. Sota glared at her as they made their way to the window.

"Hey, what's that over there?" Sota asked as he pointed. They turned and saw a brilliant heart-shape appear in the middle of the square.

"Let's check it out," Sota said. Jax and Mina followed him as they ran from the building.

* * *

"It's gone," Mina said as they stood in the square. Jax crossed his arms and looked up at the sky.

"Wonder what it was..." he trailed off. Mina started to walk forward when a lone Shadow appeared in front of her. She summoned her kunai and threw one through it.

"Little surprise the Heartless are here," she said. Sota was about to step forward when he felt something awful tug at him.

"Mina..." he began. He suddenly saw a black arc swing toward her. He quickly moved in front of her before blocking the attack with Brave Soul. Out of the corner of his eye he saw something moving toward him. In a flash, he was kicked several feet away. Mina looked at Sota, then back at the strange assailant. There was something strange about the gleam of his weapon.

"A keyblade?"

The person brought his keyblade about to strike again when another keyblade interlocked with his, stopping him in his tracks.

"Don't act so rashly, Atticus," Bastion said. Atticus pulled Black Eclipse away and crossed his arms.

"Sorry."

Bastion smiled, then looked at the others.

"So who exactly are you? You're not with the CEO, are you?" he asked them.

"The CEO?" Mina asked. Jax shrugged.

"I'm Jax," Jax said stepping forward. "The girl is Mina, and the guy you grounded is Sota."

Sota stood up and brushed himself off.

"Thanks, Jax."

"Our deepest apologies," Bastion. "Atticus is somewhat...reckless."

"I'm Atticus, and this is Bastion," Atticus said, introducing them.

"You guys are keybladers?" Sota asked curiously.

"Yes, and I see you are too," Bastion said.

"So what's up this place?" Jax asked. Bastion sighed and looked down, so Atticus took the initiative.

"This is Darkness Vale. Believe it or not, it used to be a peaceful, beautiful place."

He looked up at the black, starless sky, then continued.

"A few years ago a man came here ad became CEO of a powerful company. He industialized the world to what it is now. But that't not the worst of it. He called the Heartless into this world. He began to bribe people for 'protection.' Those who couldn't pay his ridiculous prices...met unfortunate ends."

"Atticus and I are this world's only guardians. If we die, this world will plunge into total darkness," Bastion finished.

"Well, let's go take down this CEO then!" Sota said.

"Easier said than done," Atticus replied. "His office building is almost impenetrable."

"And there are Heartless everywhere," Bastion added.

"If you want to stop this once and for all, we've got to take down the CEO," Sota said.

"I think he's right," Bastion said softly, looking at Atticus.

"And you say I'm the reckless one," Atticus said with a laugh. "But I see your point."

"Let's do it then," Jax said. "But...where exactly are we going?"

Atticus pointed to the large skyscraper towering above the other buildings in the area.

"That's our destination," he said.

"We're going to take a different route, however," Bastion said, turning down an alleyway.

"Bastion, you sure about that?" Atticus asked.

"It will avoid the Heartless, I think," Bastion said, before continuing his walk. Jax, Sota, and Mina looked at each other and shrugged before following after Bastion.

* * *

"Another one?" Vesper asked, raising his eyebrows in surprise. Marsilio smirked, throwing the unconscious girl into Vesper's arms.

"The people of that world put up a rather feeble resistance," he said. Vesper looked down at Serena, then back at Marsilio.

_"No, I doubt the Sailor Scouts could put up enough of a fight to stop him,"_ he thought.

"Have you had word from the bounty hunter?" Marsilio asked.

"Nothing as of yet. I wonder if he's having trouble finding it," Vesper said with a frown.

"Well he'd better hurry. The Queen is growing impatient," Marsilio said before walking off. Iselia walked over and looked at Serena.

"Btch got what she deserved."

Vesper ignored the comment. "So what's the next move?"

"They're planning to...mark him."

"Already?!" Vesper said in astonishment. Iselia nodded.

"Depending on the individual, it could take some time to take effect, and we want to make sure it's ready in time."

"Don't worry about that. I'll see to it."

* * *

**Nightshroud:** Sorry if the chapter was a bit rough, but I started it before I left for my sister's graduation from grad school last weekend, and I have only been able to add little bits while she's been here. I do have the next few chapters planned out, so I promise they'll be better. I actually really like two of Bastion's moves, which I haven't revealed yet. They're pretty awesome.

Next chapter: **Marked**


	16. Marked

********

Chapter XVI: Marked

* * *

**Nightshroud:** I found the theme song for this story. It's 4 Minutes by Madonna and Justin Timberlake. I love this song. Tell me what you think.

* * *

Sota and the others continued down the alleyway till they came to a wall. The alleyway seemed to be illuminated by a blood red light, but Sota didn't see where the light could be coming from. On the wall, painted brightly, and somewhat crudely, in red was a large, jagged eye (like the one on Soul Eater). Sota suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of nausea, like everything in his being told him to run as far away from there as he could. The others didn't seem to notice, or they didn't show it in any case. He suddenly felt Bastion's hand on his shoulder. He gave Sota a reassuring smile, and walked over to Atticus, who was now in the lead.

"This way," Atticus said, leading them through a narrow doorway. Bastion followed him, followed by Mina, and then Jax. Sota stopped and looked at the eye a moment longer. Jax stuck his head out from the doorway and gave a puzzled look.

"Sota? What's up with you?"

Sota whirled about, startled.

"Oh, nothing."

Jax clearly didn't buy it, but he didn't press it as Sota followed him down the stairs from the doorway. Sota fought back the sick feeling he was getting. When they reached the bottom, they saw Atticus, Bastion, and Mina waiting for them.

"Where were you?" asked Mina.

"Sota decided to do some sight seeing," Jax said jokingly. He expected Sota to say something, but Sota's eyes were cast downward. More specifically at the floor, which seemed to be coated in a few inches of dark red fog. It gave an unsettling pressence to the already eerie passageway.

"We're wasting time," Atticus pointed out. The others nodded and followed after him. Sota brought up the end, trying to keep his mind on the task at hand. Suddenly he got the worst feelign yet, and he turned to see something rising up out of the fog. It just seemed to be an empty cloak, but staring into the hood seemed to paralyze him with fear. The figure lunged at him in a flash and raked across his left arm just below his shoulder. He staggered back and collapsed to the ground. The others turned around as he fell.

"Sota!" Jax said, running over and pulling him up. Sota's head slumped down in a dead faint.

* * *

Sota felt someone touching him in his distant consciousness.

"I hope you're okay," someone whispered, a female voice. He struggled to open his eyes, and could see the faint outline of...Mina? When she saw that he was stirring, she jumped back and tried to act casual. Sota groaned and rubbed his forehead. He had a splitting headache.

"How ya doing?" Jax asked. Sota sat up and sighed.

"Okay," he managed to mumble. He looked over at his shoulder where he had been scratched. Through his closes he could see something on his skin. He held the hole wider so he could see better, and suddenly wished he hadn't. It was a black, eye-shaped symbol.

"The one in the alleyway," he murmured.

"What?"

He noticed Mina was looking at him. Obviously her questino was directed at him.

"Oh nothing."

For the first time, he noticed their surroundings. They were outside again in the alley behind a tall office building.

"We're here," he said. It must have sounded more like a question, because Mina replied.

"Jax carried you out after you collapsed. What happened anyway?"

He looked at her strangely. "What happened? Didn't you see the thing that attacked me?"

"Sota, there was nothing there when we turned around."

Sota blinked in surprise. Had it just been his mind conjuring tricks? He looked down at his shoulder and knew that wasn't true. Atticus and Bastion returned from scouting the area.

"We should be able to get in if we take some back ways till we get to the parking garage," Bastion told them.

They came to a doorway leading inside. They entered what looked like a boiler room. After navigating over some pipes, they found themselves on a walkway over another alley. They dropped down when Shadow, Neoshadow, and Defender Heartless and Sniper Nobodies appeared around them.

"Split!" Atticus shouted. Mina jumped into tthe air and began to spin. She pulled out more kunai and began to through them at the Sniper Nobodies (like Tenten's Rising Twin Dragons move) as she twisted through the air. Most of the Nobodies were destroyed, but one teleported behind her and shot a bolt from its gun. She dropped down as it whizzed over her.

"Strike Raid!"

She saw Sota through his keyblade at the Sniper and destroy it. She avoided eye contact with him and ran at more Heartless.

Bastion cut through a Neoshadow with graceful ease. Another Neoshadow lunged at him, but with quick footwork he twirled about and sliced White Haze through its neck. He turned and saw a Defender thrust its shield at him.

"Fade!" (the first of his two awesome moves)

He jumped at the shield as his body seemed to almost fade out of existence, resulting in a ghostlike appearance. He phased through it, then solidified as he sliced through its head. As it vanished a Sniper Nobody shot an arrow at him from above. Bastion threw his keyblade, which flew through the arrow and embedded into the Sniper. Bastion jumped into the air and pulled his keyblade out as the Sniper vanished and sliced through another as he dropped down.

Jax whirled his sword about, creating a strong wind that blew the Heartless back. He quickly ran forward and sliced through a Neoshadow, then turned and stabbed a Defender in the back. A group of Shadows jumped at him, but he quickly cast a spell.

"Aerora!"

The Shadows collided with a barrier of wind and were thrown back. A Defender shot a fire spell from the mouth on its shield, but Jax jumped over it and threw his sword through the Defenders chest. He dropped and grabbed his sword, then jumped backward and unleashed a slicing wave at a Sniper who was aiming at him.

Sota shot a Fire spell at a Sniper above, then turned and sliced through a Shadow that was leaping at him. He turned and saw too late a Neoshadow about to attack him. Atticus suddenly morphed using darkness out of the ground behind it and slashed through it from top to bottom.

"Thanks," Sota said. Atticus nodded.

"Watch yourself. We can't afford to lose you, can we?"

Sota blinked in surprise, then looked to see that the rest of the Heartless had been taken care of. He watched as Atticus moved again to the front of the line.

"This way," he said. They went a short distance down the alley and came to a high barbed wire fence. He put his keyblade tip to it, and everyone watched as darkness leaked out of it, corroding the metal it came in contact with. When the hole was big enough for them to fit through, they passed through and came to a dead end.

"Now what?" Mina asked. Jax shrugged in response. Atticus jumped up and caught the ledge on the wall to their right. Everyone watched as he moved forward and disappeared from sight. Bastion followed up after him. When neither of the three made a move, Sota sighed and took the initiative. They watched as he stooped down and crawled through a somewhat narrow space.

"You go next, Mina," Jax said. Mina crossed her arms and glared.

"If you think I'm gonna let you stare at my butt while I'm crawling, you're sadly mistaken," she replied shortly. Jax shrugged as he climbed up and stooped down to enter.

"Worth a shot," he said, winking back at her. She blushed, then pushed him in with her foot. When they got through they saw that they were in a small square hole in the corner of a parking garage. Sota counted three guards strolling around.

"How are we gonna-" he began, but Bastion and Atticus had already leaped from the hole and ran at the guards, calling away their keyblades. Bastion ran and chopped the first guard in the back of the neck with his hand. He crumpled to the ground as Bastion jumped into the air over the next guard as he turned, and Bastion swung his leg back and hit the man in the back of his head with his foot, sending him sprawling to the floor. Atticus ran and ducked as the third guard swung a nightstick at him. Atticus then sprang forward and rammed his elbow into the man's stomach, knocking him into the wall behind him. Sota, Jax, and Mina blinked in surprise. They had taken down the guards in only a few seconds.

"Coming?" Bastion asked with a smile. They followed them up a pair of stairs and onto a walkway over the parking spaces. Atticus kicked open a grate in the wall, then motioned for them to follow him.

"Great," Jax moaned, who was having a more rough time of it than the other two, due to his larger size. They squeezed their way through ventilation shafts until they came to a grate above a receptionist's desk. Atticus dropped down and scouted around.

"We're clear," he told them. The other dropped down behind him.

"The CEO's office is this way," Bastion said.

"How do you guys know this place so well?" Sota asked.

"We tried to stop him when he first took over. It...didn't go well," Bastion said. Sota looked over and saw the tip of a scar coming out of Atticus's shirt.

"He must have been raked across the chest by a sword," Sota thought.

"His sister was with us that time," Bastion said quietly. "But she died in the attempt. She tore off a piece of her scarf - that one tied around his wrist - and asked him to wear it for her."

Sota wanted to say something, like "I'm sorry," but he found he couldn't say anything. He looked up at Bastion, who always seemed to know what Sota was thinking.

"Thank you for helping us," he said simply. Sota nodded as Bastion walked over to join Atticus.

"We're close now, so everyone stay alert," Atticus warned. They rounded the corner and went down a hallway till they rounded another corner. They found themselves at ornate wooden doors.

"This is it," Atticus said. Heartless suddenly appeared behind them.

"You guys go on," Jax said, as he and Mina pulled their weapons out. "We'll keep the Heartless busy."

The three keybladers nodded and went through the doors. Mina looked back as the doors closed behind them.

"Be careful..."

She turned resolutely as Jax nodded at her. The two moved to attack as the Heartless lunged at them.

The three keybladers found themselves in an impressive office. It was dark, save for the moonlight coming through the large window that covered the one wall looking out onto the city. The floors were a polished black, a stark contrast to the white walls. A large desk was in front of the windows with a tall black seat behind it. But no one was in it at the moment. A man was standing in front of the window, looking out onto the city, his one hand placed against the clean glass.

"We're back to finish it," Atticus said, breaking the silence. The man turned and faced them. He had short, blond hair and wore a white collared shirt with a red tie and black pants. His right hand was grasped around a decorative Japanese sword. The other was a bionic hand, which he held up and flexed. His eyes were what caught Sota's attention. They had a blood red color, and gave the impression that they had done and enjoyed great evil.

"Three on one again?" he asked. "But I see you replaced your sister with someone else. Let's hope he doesn't end up the same, right?"

Atticus growled and summoned Black Eclipse, Sota and Bastion following suit. The CEO laughed.

"The results will only be the same. You can never win. You're in my world now!"

**Nightshroud:** This one took a long time because I got a new video game, and I've been quite attached to it. But I managed to get this up. Next chapter will, of course, be the boss fight with the CEO. Review and let me know how you liked it.

Next chapter: **The CEO**


	17. The CEO

********

Chapter XVII: The CEO

* * *

**Nightshroud:** Sorry it took me a while to put this up. My dad and I were installing hard wood floors in our office, so our computer was in dispose until we finished. Well, here it is. Hope it was worht the wait. 8D

* * *

Sota felt very nervous as he sensed the beginning of the fight. Standing next to these two keyblade masters made him hope he wouldn't slow them down.

Atticus suddenly sprinted forward at the CEO, swinging Black Eclipse at him. The CEO lifted his bionic hand and shot a purple bolt of energy from it. The bolt hit Atticus and threw him back against the wall. The CEO ran forward, but Bastion stepped in front of Atticus. He stuck White Haze in the ground, then put his hands together.

"Haze!"

His image seemed to turn waver. Then a ghostly form flew forward from him and collided into the CEO, throwing him back in an explosion of light. The CEO stood and shot a blast of electricity from his bionic hand at Bastion. Bastion blocked it with with his keyblade, then ran at the CEO and swung at him. The CEO parried his attack, then punched him in the shoulder. Bastion staggered to the side, but dropped down, and tried to trip the CEO. The CEO jumped back and landed on his desk. He threw his sword at Bastion, but Bastion jumped back as the sword imbedded in the polished floor. The CEO grabbed his sword and ran at Bastion, but Bastion jumped at him.

"Fade!"

The CEO's eyes widened in shock as Bastion phased through him, then slashed across his back. The CEO staggered back, and Bastion came at him to finish him off. He swung his keyblade, but the CEO ducked, then kicked it out of his hand. Before Bastion could call it back, then CEO grabbed him with his bionic hand and began to shoot paralyzing bursts of electricity though his body. The CEO grinned sadistically, then lifted his other hand and threw a series of punches to Bastion's stomach before giving him a sharp uppercut. Bastion was thrown into the air, then the CEO braced his left arm and shot a ball of purple energy out of it, slamming Bastion into the wall. Sota's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Bastion!" Atticus yelled. Bastion opened his eyes weakely, then saw the CEO make a move at Atticus.

"Atticus!" he called, throwing White Haze to him. Atticus caught it with his left hand, then used it to parry the CEO's sword. He brought up Black Eclipse and placed it against the CEO's chest.

"Dark Thorn!"

The CEO was attacked by bolts of dark energy that coursed all over his body. The energy finally gathered at the tip of Black Eclipse and blasted the CEO back into his desk. Atticus hurled both his keyblades at the fallen CEO.

"Twilight Raid!"

The CEO grabbed his chair and threw it at White Haze, the lighter of the two keyblades. It didn't stop it, but moved it enough to throw it off course and allow the CEO to dodge Black Eclipse. Atticus called back his keyblades as the CEO charged himself with darkness.

Sota was standing on the sidelines, not sure what to do. Unfrotunately, the CEO seemed to make that decision for him. The CEO shot forward, ripples of darkness following behind him. Sota used a spell just as the CEO slashed at him.

"Reflera!"

The CEO was knocked back, but quickly recovered and shot off a series of energy blasts from his hand. Sota dodged them and bashed him in the chest. The CEO grabbed him and slammed him against the wall, but Atticus rammed into him from the side, knocking the CEO away.

"Fira!"

Sota shot a fire spell at the CEO, but he put up his hand up and blocked it. Sota ran at him when the CEO fired a blast from his hand.

"Fade!"

Sota turned ghostlike and faded through the blast, then slashed the CEO across the chest. Bastion, Atticus, and the CEO were all startled.

"How did he do that?" Bastion wondered.

The CEO jumped back and snapped his fingers.

"Dimension Wall!"

A shield split the room into two parts, with Bastion and Sota on the one half and the CEO and Atticus on the other half.

"Now we won't be interrupted," the CEO said, smiling slyly at Atticus. Atticus growled and jumped at the CEO. He swung Black Eclipse at the CEO's head, but the CEO blocked it with his sword. Atticus brought White Haze across and slashed the CEO across the cheek. The two jumped away, regaining their breath.

"It's too bad you sister couldn't be here to see how much you improved," the CEO hissed. Atticus' eyes narrowed.

"You needed get upset about it though. You'll be with her soon!"

The CEO unleashed a wave of sword slashes. Atticus managed to block most of them, but managed to get a cut across his right arm. Atticus pushed the CEO back and shot a dark blast at him. The CEO knocked it away easily.

"You'll never beat me using darkness," he mocked. He charged up his sword with darkness and lashed at Atticus. Atticus blocked the CEO's sword with Black Eclipse, but his injured arm couldn't hold back the CEO for long.

"If that's the case, then I'll just have to use something else," Atticus said. The CEO's mind didn't have enough time to figure out the meaning before Atticus swung White Haze, glowing with light, and slashed the keyblade across the CEO's chest. The CEO gasped and staggered back to his knees. He clutched at his chest, which was leaking darkness. The dimesion wall collapsed.

"No...Impossible."

Atticus walked over and placed the keyblade in an x-shape across the CEO's neck, ready to decapitate him. His eyes suddenly drifted over to Bastion. Bastion shook his head softly. Atticus sighed and removed the keyblades.

"Your finished. It's over."

Atticus turned and began to walk away. The CEO growled and lunged forward.

"Atticus!" Sota yelled. Atticus turned, but it was too late to react. Sota quickly threw his keyblade at the CEO.

"Strike Raid!"

The CEO's eyes widened as the keyblade flew at him, smashing into his chest. It threw him back, causing him to crash out the wall-spanning window. The CEO looked down in midair, then screamed in terror as he plunged to his death. Atticus and Sota ran to the window. Sota cringed and turned his head, while Atticus sighed and lowered his head.

"It's over," he said quietly.

* * *

Jax finished slicing through a Neoshadow when the Heartless began to shrink back before finally disappearing. Jax sighed and placed his sword on his shoulders. He looked over at Mina, who wiped her forehead and put away her kunai.

"They must have finished off the CEO," she said, looking over at him. She suddenly stopped when she noticed his eyes were fixed on her, his mouth turned upward in a slight smile.

"What?" she asked, shifting nervously.

"I was just thinking how cute you are," he said. She felt her face heat up in embarrassment, but she was a tough girl, and she wasn't going to let just anyone make moves on her.

"Why are you telling me this?" she asked defensively. Whatever she had hoped to accomplish with this tough attitude, it certainly wasn't working on Jax.

"I just wanted you to know that I'm interested in you," he said. She suddenly noticed that they were standing very close to each other. Before she could move away the door swung open. Sota's eye locked with hers, and she realized from the look in his eyes the kind of assumption he was making. Sota was about to say something when he suddenly felt a pain in his left arm. He winced and subconsciously put his hand on it.

"Are you hurt?" Mina asked.

"No, it's nothing," he said, removing his hand. He knew it was the Mark that had suddenly hurt him, but he wasn't sure why.

"C'mon, let's get out of here," Jax said, walking toward the elevators. The others followed suit, with Atticus helping Bastion at the back. When they exited the building, Sota noticed something right away.

"The light...it's different," he said. They looked up and saw that the sky had changed to a lighter shade one might see just before the sun comes up, and there was a faint twinkling of stars in the sky.

"It's back to normal after so long," Bastion said with a faint smile, looking over to Atticus. Atticus nodded and looked over at the others.

"Thank you for your help," he said. "We wouldn't have been able to do it without you."

Sota looked up at the sky and smiled.

"It's little stuff like this that makes it worthwhile."

* * *

"You know, it was a day like this when Sota and I sat here before he disappeared."

Reyna and Kai were sitting on the beach together, the water lapping at their feet.

"I know it's hard, Reyna, but you shouldn't worry yourself to death. I mean, he was a keyblade weilder when he was seven! I think he can take care of himself," Kai said. Reyna sighed and lowered her head onto her arms, which she had rested on her knees.

"I know...you're right. But I just miss him."

Kai smiled and placed a soft kiss on her forehead.

"I'm always here for you, okay?"

She nodded and rested her head on his shoulder.

"I know."

Suddenly they heard a familiar sound, and a pair of feet dig into the sand. They both whipped around to see a man standing there. He had straight black hair that cam down to his chin, a pair of scars across his left cheek, and a small scar above and below his eye. He had purple eyes and wore long black boots with an open white shirt and a purple bandage around his waist. He held in his sword a thin, long sword.

"The Angel of Heart, I presume?" he said in a quiet, soothing voice. Kai immediately placed himself in front of Reyna.

"Who wants to know?" he asked. The man lowered his face, his eyes piercing Kai's.

"Unwanted interference. If I were you, I'd leave rather quickly. I don't want to have to kill you."

Kai summoned Wings of Evolution to his hand.

"If you think you can," Kai said.

"Angel of Heart," the man said, looking past Kai, "I am Raven Celes, a bounty hunter hired to kidnap you. I was not paid to kill anyone, but if someone should hinder my mission...well..." he said, the sharpness and deadliness of his eyes stunning her.

"Kai..." she warned, but Kai immediately ran at the bounty hunter. Kai sliced at him, but Raven moved just slightly enough to dodge it, then rammed his knee into Kai's stomach. Kai was stunned for a moment before Raven swung his other leg and kicked Kai back to the ground. Reyna eyes widened, but then narrowed as she summoned light to herself.

"Halo Shuriken!"

Rings of light like halos appeared around both her arms, which she threw at the bounty hunter in rapid succession. Raven jumped back and moved his sword with blinding speed, blocking all her attacks. As soon as his feet touched the ground, he quickly cast a spell.

"Gravira!"

The ball of gravity threw her to the ground.

"I forgot how powerful you are," Raven said. "I'll have to make sure you're not a problem."

He cast another spell on her, this time strange symbols circled around her.

"Silence!" he said. Reyna suddenly felt strange. She jumped back and tried to summon light, but she found she couldn't.

"W-what did you do?" she asked.

"Silence is a spell that cuts off your magic power temporarily. You'll get your powers back soon. I'd be in trouble if you didn't."

Before she could ask what he meant, Kai had charged up behind him. Raven backflipped over him and slashed in midair, but Kai rolled out of the way.

"Iolair!" he called, shooting a blast of light energy at Raven. The bounty hunter put his arms up as the blast hit him. When the light died down, Raven noticed that the impact had slid him back several feet.

"Not bad," he mused. He put his hand in a pouch on his leg and pulled out several slender, metal objects.

"Nails?" Kai wondered. Raven smiled and threw them into the air.

"Flying Arrow Nail!"

The nails turned in midair and pointed themselves at Kai, flying at him. Kai propelled himself into the air jsut as the nails passed by him. Kai smirked at the bounty hunter, but noticed that the man was smirking back at him.

"Magnega!"

Raven cast a magnet spell jsut as Kai touched the ground. Kai tried to move, but found himself rooted to the spot.

_"Damn it, I can't move!"_ he cursed to himself. The nails turned in the air, attracted by the magnet spell, and flew right at him.

"Kai!" Reyna called. Kai summoned his wings at the last moment.

"Treanid!"

Kai's wings covered him, deflecting the nails away. The magnet spell broke, and Kai turned to face the bounty hunter.

"This was unexpected..." the man mused. He leaned forward, changing his stance.

"It's time I showed you my real speed."

Raven shot forward quickly, zigzagging back and forth. Kai wasn't sure if it was his imagination or not, but it seemed like the bounty hunter was splitting into different forms.

"Body Flicker!"

Kai's eyes widened in shock as five Ravens came at him from different sides. Kai turned as one sliced at him from the side, but it faded away suddenly. Kai turned and put his sword up to block as another swung, but it faded on contact. The last two came at him from the front at opposite angles. Kai swung his sword as they came close, but they faded. He looked down as a blur shot in front of him.

"Wha-"

He looked down to see Raven's looking up at him. He watched as Raven brought his sword around at his side. Kai quickly placed his hands on either side of his head, fingers extended towards his face.

"Fendell!"

The area was engulfed with a blinding light. When it cleared, Raven watched as Kai landed on the ground by Reyna, several yards away.

"You proved yourself an accomplished fighter, but I'm wasting time here. Flash Step!"

In an instant he was in front of Kai. He brought his sword up in a flash and sliced across Kai's stomach. Kai's suddenly coughed blood as he collapsed to the ground.

"Kai!" Reyna screamed, but her cry was cut short when Raven hit her on the back of her head with the hilt of his sword. Then everything went black...

* * *

**Nightshroud:** I bet you thought I forgot about the bounty hunter huh? Hehe I hope you liked it. Sorry if Kai wasn't as kick-ass as he was in Angel of Heart, but keep in mind that he hasn't fought since then (like 8 years ago) so he was a bit rusty. The next chapter is a new world. Try to guess which. 8D

Next chapter: **A Feudal Fairytail**


	18. A Feudal Fairytail

********

Chapter XVIII: A Feudal Fairytail

* * *

**Nightshroud:** Poison ivy sucks. I have a bad case of it, so I haven't been allowed outside in over a week (doc's orders). That did give me a lot of time to think the story over, so now I have a very good idea of where I'm going with it. Major plotline events figured out too. 8D Should help speed up update time. Well here's the next chapter. Enjoy!

* * *

Queen Diana sat on her throne while her underlings stood waiting for her orders.

"Naraku," she said. The black-haired man looked up at her.

"Yes?"

"The keyblader is approaching your world. See to it that you do your job right."

Naraku turned and aimed a glare back at her.

"Of course."

He opened a portal and was ready to pass through when Diana spoke again.

"Iselia, I want you to go with him. Find the princess of heart and deliver her to me."

Iselia nodded and followed Naraku. Vesper waited until the others had left to follow after Iselia.

"Where are you going? Queen Diana didn't tell you to come. Don't try to steal the spotlight," Iselia hissed. Vesper rolled his eyes.

"Don't worry, the princess is yours. I have a different reason for wanting to go."

Iselia crossed her arms and tilted her head to the side slightly.

"And why's that?" she asked. Vesper smiled mysteriously.

"Let's just say I have an important meeting to keep."

* * *

"So this is the next world, huh?" Sota asked. Jax nodded. They had just climbed out of the gummi ship, which had just had its first successful landing. They were in a forest clearing with a square well in the ground behind them.

"So where do you think we are?" Jax asked. Sota shrugged.

"Beats me with a stick," he replied.

"It'd be a pleasure," Mina replied with a smirk. Sota glared at her.

"Well, I'm gonna take a look around," Jax said. He had walked only a few feet away when everyone heard someone yelling.

"Hey, Kagome!"

A figure jumped through the trees and landed in front of Jax, and for a moment the two stared at each other. The other figure had long white hair, dog ears, golden eyes, and was wearing a red hakama and hitoe with a white shirt beneath. The figure's eyes suddenly narrowed and he jumped back a step.

"Hey, who are you guys?" he asked, noticing their weapons. Sota started to open his mouth, but Jax interrupted him.

"And who wants to know?" Jax shot back. Both then slammed their foreheads together in comical anime style.

"Look, pal, I've been annoyed enough today without you giving me a hard time," the white-haired stranger growled.

"Oh, you're breaking my heart," Jax retorted.

"You want a piece of me?!" Inuyasha yelled.

"Bring it!"

The two jumped away and grabbed their swords.

"Men..." Mina said with a long, exasperated sigh. Two more people ran into the clearing. One was a young man dressed like a monk, and he other was a young woman dressed in ninja clothes.

"Did you see where Inuyasha went, Sango?" he asked.

"There he is, Miroku!" Sango said, pointing.

"Friend of yours?" Mina asked dryly.

"Oh," said Sango, noticing Mina and Sota for the first time "We didn't see you."

"Yes, he is," said Miroku, sweatdropping.

"I wish he didn't have to have such an explosive temper," Sango murmured.

"Hey, Jax is just as much to blame," Sota added. They turned to see Jax and Inuyasha clashing swords. Inuyasha brought his sword above his head and swung down, but Jax jumped over him and swung at him from above. Inuyasha rolled to the side and lashed with his sword Tetsusaiga, unleashing a shockwave.

"Terra Shield!"

The shockwave collided into the earth wall, causing an explosion and a shower of rocks. Jax turned and looked around for Inuyasha. Inuyasha came at him from behind and swung, but Jax put his sword behind his back to block it. He then jumped away and panted.

"You're not too bad," Inuyasha said.

"I could have told you that," Jax said.

"Too bad I'm better," Inuyasha said with a smirk.

"At least I don't have dog ears," Jax said with a laugh. Inuyasha growled.

"All right, I've had enough out of you," the half demon yelled, raising his sword up.

"Oh no..." Miroku sighed.

"What?" Sota asked.

"He's going to use it," Sango said.

"Use what?" Mina askerd impatiently.

"Wind Scar!" Inuyasha yelled, unleashing a powerful wave of yellow energy. Jax took a step back.

_"That's one hell of a strong attack..."_

Jax lifted his sword and slammed it to the ground.

"Earth Glave!"

Giant rock spikes shot out of the ground in a line straight for Inuyasha's attack. The two collided, knocking everyone back in a poweful blast. After the dust had cleared, Mina sat up and dusted herself off.

_"I'll kill him...I swear I'll kill him."_

Sota, Sango, and Miroku came up from behind.

"Where did they go?" Sango asked. They heard a clash and saw Jax and Inuyasha emerge from the trees, clashing swords.

"Man, there they go again," Sota sighed.

"What's going on?" a voice asked from behind them. They turned and saw a girl, who looked to be about sixteen, emerge from the well behind them. She was dressed in a white and green school uniform and had long black hair.

"Uh, well..." Miroku started, but trailed off. The girl looked past them and saw Jax and Inuyasha fighting.

"Inuyasha!"

Inuyasha stopped and looked over.

"Kagome?"

She curled her hands into fists and glared at him.

"SIT!"

Inuyasha was thrown face first into the ground in front of Jax, who immediately burst into laughter. The other merely sighed.

* * *

Another figure walked into Diana's throneroom. He was tall and covered completely in bandages. A few tufts of black hair could be seen sticking out from the head. What little skin could be seen seemed darkened and burned.

"The keyblader is getting close to my world. I think it would be best to accept your proposal," he said.

"Very good," Diana mused. She turned her face to the other two villains.

"Crocodile, Zofis, keep an eye out for any developments. Find the keyholes as well."

They nodded and portaled out. Diana turned back to the other man.

"And Shishio, look for the princess of heart in your world. If Naraku fails, they'll be coming that way next."

Shishio nodded and portaled out as well. Diana smiled. With any luck, she'd have what she was looking for very soon.

* * *

"I see," Kagome said as Sota finished.

"You do?" Sota said.

"Well yeah. After all, I came from the future through a magic well. I can believe just about anything after all that's happened to me."

"I'm intrigued by this keyhole you mentioned,' Miroku said.

"Why? Have you heard of it?" Jax asked.

"No. But maybe Lady Kaede will know," he replied.

"Well I think I'm going to head to the hot springs first," Kagome said.

"Hot springs?" Sota asked.

* * *

"Ah..." Kagome said, sinking into the steamy water. Mina kept looking down, slightly embarrassed to be completely naked with two girls she didn't even know. And there was a little fox boy floating around them too to boot.

"So what's your relationship with Jax and Sota?" Sango asked her.

"Relationship?" Mina asked, blushing.

"Oh! She's blushing! Do you like one of them?" Sango asked.

"Maybe we shouldn't pry," Kagome started, but Sango ignored her.

"Well, I don't know," Mina mumbled.

"Issues?" Kagome asked. Mina nodded.

"Trust me, we have enough of them," Sango sighed.

"Well, I know Jax said he's interested in me."

"And what do you think about him?" Kagome asked.

"Well, I think he's...attractive. But he's so thick-headed and flirtatious."

"Sounds like Inuyasha and Miroku combined!" Shippo, the fox boy, laughed.

"Poor you," Kagome said sympathetically.

"And Sota-" Mina began, but stopped short. Sango and Kagome looked at her strangely.

"What?" Kagome asked.

"I don't know. I just have had something against him since we met, and I'm not sure why."

_"Girls and their boy problems,"_ Shippo thought to himself.

* * *

Speaking of boy problems...

"I wonder what the girls are doing..." Jax said as they sat in some hot springs away from the girls.

"Who cares," Inuyasha mumbled, sitting on a rock by the spring.

"The water is great, Inuyasha," Miroku insisted.

"I don't care. You're not getting me in any damn hot spring," Inuyasha said, crossing his arms.

"You know, maybe we should check on the girls...just to make sure they're okay," Miroku said to Jax. Jax's face lit up with a lecherous grin.

"I like the way your mind works," Jax said. The partners in crime grabbed their towels and ran down the path. Sota and Inuyasha watched them go with sour looks.

* * *

"But you do think he's cute?" Sango asked.

"Well, I wouldn't say no," Mina replied. Jax smirked.

"I knew she had the hots for me from day one," he said.

"Shhh!" Miroku said, leaning forward to get a better look. They could just make out the form of the girls in the steamy water. They grinned as they leaned forward more, getting a better view of-

"What the hellare two doing?" Inuyasha yelled. The two fell forward from surprise, tumbling down the small hill and splashing into the water. Miroku and Jax surfaced and looked around at the frozen faces of the girls.

"Uh, hey?" Jax tried.

"AAAAH!"

The girls screamed and tried to cover themselves.

"Woah woah, calm down," Jax began, but when they put up their hands everyone noticed their towels bob to the surface.

"AAAAAHHHH!"

A new wave of panic hit the girls. They flailed around in the water, tying to get as far away as possible from the two peepers.

"What's going on?" Inuyasha asked, coming to the top of the hill, followed by Sota. Both of their faces turned beet red at the scene in front of theme. Kagome suddenly noticed him and hid in embarrassment.

"Sit, boy!"

Inuyasha plummeted to the ground face-first, then proceeded to roll down the hill and intot he spring with a splash. His head slowly emerged from the water, and he aimed a murderous glance at the perverted duo, who grinned in embarrassment. Jax looked up at Sota, who was the only person not in the hot spring now.

"Care to join us?"

* * *

**Nightshroud:** Not much action in this chapter, but I felt the story needed a bit of light-heartedness. Hope you enjoyed it. Well I revealed the other villains names in the chapter. Hope you can manage to figure them out. Of course, that doesn't mean there won't be other worlds (you can count on it). I will say that since I've been watching a lot of Bleach lately (and since everyone seems to like it) it will be making an appearance in this story. Wooh! Well anyway, next chapter gets down to business. Have it up in a flash!

Next chapter: **The Mountain of the Gods**


	19. The Mountain of the Gods

********

Chapter XIX: The Mountain of the Gods

* * *

**Nightshroud:** Only 18 chapter and I have 50 reviews. Wooh! Hehe I couldn't resist making the last chapter humorous. I mean, having Jax AND Miroku at my disposal was too irresistable haha. Anyway, with most of the anime that will appear in this story, they will be following their original storylines. But with Inuyasha (and probably one other) I will be making my own storyline. Just giving a heads-up. I also amm trying to fit in Shippo and Kilala, but it's kinda hard, since I'm working with so many characters, so bear with me if they seem kinda left out. Also I was wondering who your favorite members of the Tainted are so far (namely Vesper, Iselia, Rolan, Karashi, and Marsilio). I will say that I haven't really introduced one important member yet. But you'll have to wat for that hehe. 8D

* * *

After the fiasco at the hotsprings, the group headed back to the village.

"Sango? Sango, talk to me!" Miroku persisted. Sango kept marching forward, avoiding any contact with him.

"But, Sango," he said, his hand groping her butt. The next minute he was flat on the ground, a rather large bruise on his head swelling by the second. Sango seethed angrily as she hedl her boomerang in her hand.

"You lecher! You ruined everything!"

"Sango, he can't help being entranced by your valoptuous form," Jax reasoned. Sango stared at him in disbelief.

"I swear their like two peas in a pod," Kagome mumbled. Jax and Miroku looked at each other and laughed.

"Somehow, I don't think that was a compliment," Shippo sighed. They entered into the village, where many of the men were out harvesting the rice. An older woman, dressed as a priestess with a patch over her obe eye, saw them approach and waved.

"Ay, Kagome, you've returned!" she said.

"It's good to see you again," Kagome said with a smile.

"And who are these new faces?" the woman asked.

"I'm Sota."

"My name is Mina."

"Jax."

"I see. Well, what brings you here?"

"Lady Kaede," Miroku said, "these travelers are looking for something called the 'keyhole' and were wondering if you knew anything about it."

Kaede's face flickered with surprise for a moment, then just as quickly returned to an emotionless expression.

"No, it doesn't sound familiar," she said slowly. Jax eyed her suspiciously.

"You're not holding out on us, are you, hag?" he demanded.

"Hey, that's my line!" Inuyasha said. Mina stepped hard on both of toes, causing them to howl in pain.

"Now, children, let's behave," she said in a venomously sweet voice. Sota and Shippo took a step back.

"Man, she's scary," Shippo whispered. Mina's eyes suddenly turned to him with an evil glare, causing Shippo to yelp and hide behind Sota's leg.

"You're sure you can't think of anything?" Mina asked Kaede. The old woman hesitated, but before anything else happened, a man ran up to Kaede frantically.

"Lady Kaede! Strange creatures are atacking the village!"

"Demons?" asked Kaede.

"Demons of the dark!" he exclaimed. "They move liked shadows, and their eyes burn yellow like hellfire!"

Sota, Jax, and Mina exchanged glances.

"The Heartless," Sota said aloud.

"Heartless?" Inuyasha asked.

"We have to do something!" the man yelled.

"No time to explain," Sota said, nodding to the others. "C'mon."

Jax and Mina followed after Sota. They came to the edge of the village and stopped short. The Heartless were overunning the village. There were Shadows, of course, and two other kinds. There were large black vulture-like Heartless, the Heartless emblem on their chests and their wings a blood red. The other kind had snake-like bodies up to the waist, but the uppper half was humanoid. There skin was black, but the snake part was dark green. They carried bows for weapons and had the Heartless emblem on their chests as well. Sota flinched as he saw a man fall and a Shadow jump on him and pull his heart out.

"We've got to help them," Jax said, running forward. Sota and Mina ran in opposite directions, fanning out to cover more area.

"Thundara!" Mina called, sending bolts of lightning down on a group of Shadows. A Carrion Heartless flew down at her and knocked her down. As it flew back at her, she threw her kunai at it.

"Instant Light!"

The kunai sliced through the Heartless before she teleported behind it and slashed it in half. She dropped to the ground as it vanished, then sliced the head off a Shadow. She heard a sound like something whistling through the air. She turned to seer that a Viper Bow had shot an arrow at her. Before she could react she saw another arrow fly by her, this one with a stunningly powerful aura, visible as a pink blur. The purified arrow broke through the other arrow and pierced through the Viper Bow, a shriek coming from its throat before it disappeared. Kagome smiled at Mina.

"Need any help?"

Sota summoned Brave Soul and stabbed a Viper Bow through the stomach before turning and slicing off another Viper Bow's head. A Carrion came at him from the air.

"Fire Raid!"

He threw his keyblade as it burst into flames. The Carrion shrieked as it was sliced down the middle before disappearing. Sota summoned back his keyblade as another Viper Bow took aim at him.

"Rising Sun!" Sota yelled. He slammed his keyblade down, and the ground where the Viper Bow stood suddenly errupted in a column of fire. Sota smirked seeing his new move work out. He heard a screech and saw another Carrion swoop down at him. He readied his keyblade for the strike when he saw a large boomerang fly through the air and slice through it.

"Hiraikotsu!"

He saw the boomerang swing around behind him and into Sango's hand as she jumped off of Kilala. She gave him a smile.

"What are you guys doing here?" he asked, throwing his glance back at Sango.

"We thought we'd lend you a hand," Miroku said, jumping in front of him. He pulled the beads of his right hand and held it out.

"Wind Tunnel!"

The Heartless in front of him tried to resist, but they were unable to escape the pull and were sucked into the hole in the monk's hand. Miroku quickly closed it before he could do any damage to the village.

"You guys are handy in a pinch," Sota said with a grin. Shippo climbed on Miroku's shoulder and crossed his arms.

"That's right. We're amazing fighters," he said smugly.

"What do you mean 'we'?" Sota heard Inuyasha yell, causing Shippo to grimace.

Meanwhile Jax was holding out against his share of Heartless.

"Aerora!" Jax called, creating a wind barrier as a Carrion flew at him. It collided into it and was thrown back, unable to regain its balance before Jax sliced it in half. Jax was surprised when he saw a familiar sword stab through a Viper Bow on his right. When he turned he saw Tetsusaiga in the ground next to him. He turned around as a Shadow jumped at him.

"Iron Reaver Soul Stealer!"

The Shadow was suddenly sliced apart by a blur of yellow claws. Jax was surprised to see Inuyasha drop down next to him.

"Dog Ears?" he mumbled. Inuyasha growled.

"Hey, stop calling me that!" he demanded. Jax laughed and extended a hand.

"Guess I should say thanks."

Inuyasha suspiciously looked at his hand, then shook.

"All right," he said slowly.

"Sorry for the initial run-in, but you're all right," Jax said. Inuyasha crossed his arms and tried to look aloof.

"Yeah, I guess you're okay too."

Sota and the others came up.

"I guess we took care of the Heartless," Sota said, looking around. Kaede approached them slowly.

"You three seem to know something about them," she said. "Do you mind telling us what they are?"

Sota was about to reply, but Mina interjected.

"The Heartless are creatures born of the darkness in people's hearts. They have no hearts of their own so they attack people and steal their hearts from them, turning them into Heartless as well."

Sota crossed his arms and mumbled to himself as Inuyasha and his group digested the information.

"But where did they come from?" Kagome asked.

"I know!" they heard a small voice say. They turned to see a small girl who was being held by her mother.

"Ye know where the Heartless came from?" Kaede asked. The girl nodded.

"I was picking flowers on the side of the Mountain of the Gods. They came from the shrine at the top."

"Mountain of the Gods?" Miroku inquired. Kaede nodded.

"It's to the north. There was an old shrine up there, which was abandoned quite a while ago."

"Apparently not," Inuyasha scoffed.

"We'll check things out, Kaede," Kagome offered.

"It's never easy," Jax said with a groan.

* * *

Tne group set out on foot, since they couldn't find any other mode of transportation to suit everyone's needs. As they were walking, Inuyasha suddenly grimaced. Sota noticed and looked at him.

"What's wrong?" Sota asked. Inuyasha gripped his hands into fists.

"This whole things has Naraku all over it," he said.

"Naraku?" Mina asked. "Who's that?"

"Naraku is a half-demon like Inuyasha. He was originally a bandit named Onigumo who allowed a host of demons to enter into his body and turn him into a demon for power," Kagome told her.

"He's been a thorn in our sides for a long time," Miroku said with a sigh.

"And he has no problem exploiting people's deepest feelings for his own gain," Sango muttered. Jax looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Sounds like a real bastard," he said. Inuyasha laughed.

"Well said."

He suddenly stopped and began to sniff.

"What's he doing?" Mina whispered to Kagome.

"He's smelling for scents in the air," Kagome whispered back. Jax grinned and walked over to Inuyasha.

"What is it, boy? Whatcha smell?"

Inuyasha glared at him, then regarded the others.

"I sense someone nearby."

Everyone tensed slightly at that.

"You sense someone?" Sango asked.

"Yeah, but..." Inuyasha trailed off.

"But...?" Jax asked, stretching out the word.

"But I don't smell anything," Inuyasha finished. A sudden burst of wind ripped through the area with a defeaning shriek. They looked up to see a figure standing in front of them, one that Sota, Mina, and Jax recognized. (Go back to chapter two for his description, though I have decided to change his hair to only coming slightly below his shoulders in a ponytail.)

"We keep bumping into each other," Vesper said, smirking behind his mask. "I suppose I should finally introduce myself properly. The name's Vesper."

Vesper glanced about at Inuyasha, Kagome, and their group.

"Do you mind? I wasn't expecting such a crowd," Vesper said. Sota looked at Inuyasha's group.

"You guys go on ahead. We'll catch up."

"You sure? This guy doesn't look so tough," Inuyasha said, making sure to hold up his claws.

"Don't worry about it," Sota said. Inuyasha nodded. They ran ahead cautiously for any moves Vesper might make, but he seemed to have no interest in them at all.

"Now what do you really want?" Sota asked. Vesper lifted his hand and pointed at him.

"It's time for you to come with me."

* * *

**Nightshroud:** As you probably figured out, next chapter is a fight with Vesper! It's actually a very critical chapter too, so get excited! 8D Review and let me know what you think. I also couldn't wait for my friend to do the artwork for the story, so I started on my own, and it actually worked out well. I got Jax finished, and Mina is almost done. I have to find otu from my dad if we have a scanner, otherwise I'll have to wait for my new laptop to come in, which I know has one. In any case, I'll try to have that up soon.

Next chapter: **The Messenger of Doom: Vesper**


	20. The Agent of Doom: Vesper

********

Chapter XX: The Agent of Doom: Vesper

* * *

**Nightshroud:** I like the title I came up with. Awesome, no? I actually got another picture done, this one of Rolan. Mina and Vesper are partially done. Sorry I haven't updated as fast as I would have liked, but things have been a little hectic around my house. On a good note, I already have evertyhing in this world planned out, so there won't be any cases of writers block. 8D Anyway, enjoy!

* * *

Vesper lifted his hand and pointed at Sota.

"It's time for you to come with me."

Sota was visibly startled and unconsciously took a step back. Then suddenly he smirked and stepped forward, summoning his keyblade.

"And if I say no?"

Mina looked over at him. It wasn't his normal behavior to act so cocky. She looked over at Vesper, who tilted his head in amusement. He removed his mask, his dark green eyes alight with excitement and his handsome face apparently most comfortable in a confident smile.

"If you think you can stop it, by all means try."

Jax looked at the other two.

"I got this," he said, sprinting forward. Since Vesper hadn't summoned his weapon, Jax decided not to use his. He ran forward and threw a punch, but Vesper caught it in his hand effortlessly. Jax was surprised, but then turned in shock as he saw Vesper run past him. He looked at the one holding his hand.

_"Which is the real one?"_

The other one had run past him and charged at the other two. Sota ran forward and jumped into the air, slashing downward at it. It summoned its scythe and blocked the keyblade, but Sota dropped down and quickly stabbed it in the chest. It wavered for a moment, then faded away into the wind. Jax's eyes widened.

_"Then-"_

He turned back to see the Vesper holding his fist - the real Vesper - smirk and summon his scythe. Jax jumped back as Vesper slashed at where he once stood. Jax summoned his sword as Vesper came at him. Vesper sudddenly stopped, and turned to block Sota's attack from behind. Jax took the opportunity to come up on the distracted Vesper and attack. Vesper swiftly backflipped over Jax, his hand pushing off Jax's shoulders, and kicked Jax in the back, knocking him into Sota. Vesper smirked as the two fumbled around on the ground, trying to get off of each other. Suddenly he felt something was wrong. He looked about and could see feathers falling down around him. He looked at Jax and Sota, and knew it couldn't be them. Then it hit him.

_"The girl!"_

He turned and saw Mina smirking back at him.

"Lightning Feather!"

Electric currents shot through all the feathers, creating a deadly field of electricity. Jax and Sota stood and watched in amazement as the entire area glowed with light from the attack. When the light faded away, they all gasped as Vesper stood unharmed, an Aero shield surrounding him.

"That was an impressive attack. You have more potential that these two have shown so far," Vesper said to Mina with a laugh. Sota growled.

"Oh yeah?"

Sota ran at him and slammed his keyblade aginst the ground.

"Rising Sun!"

Vesper backflipped as a column of fire errupted where he was standing a moment ago.

"Wind Sickles!"

Vesper swung his scythe and unleashed multiple sickle-shaped wind blades at Sota. Sota was taken by surprised and was sliced several times before he fell to the ground. Vesper frowned.

_"Hmm...he's not using it. Maybe I need to find the trigger."_

"You know, if you came with us, you would be so much more powerful. Powerful enough to make things how you want them in this world-"

"No thanks," Sota cut in. Vesper had one more card to play.

"Powerful enough to defend the ones you love, like your sister."

Sota stopped like an icy dagger had been thrust through his heart.

"W-what did you say?" he said, hating the way his voice trembled.

"Maybe if you were strong enough you could have stopped us from kidnapping your sister."

Jax and Mina silently gasped, then looked to Sota, who seemed paralyzed where he stood. Suddenly Sota ran at Vesper and swung his keyblade, but his movements were slow and awkward, and Vesper easily jumped over him and slashed with his scythe. Sota turned and blocked the scythe in midair, but fell to the ground after. Vesper swung at him with his scythe, but in a flash Jax had placed himself between Sota and Vesper, and held Vesper's scythe back with his sword.

"What would you do without me?" Jax said, casting a glance back at Sota, who only frowned. Jax looked back at Vesper and smirked.

"Say goodbye."

He forced back Vesper's scythe and swung his sword, slicing through Vesper's chest. Jax's smirk faded just as Vesper's body did.

_"A fake?! Then-"_

He saw a black blur and looked down as the real Vesper slid under his sword. Almost in slow motion he saw Vesper smile arrogantly, then a flash as a searing pain tore across his chest. He stumbled back and fell as Vesper stood above him, blood dripping from his scythe. Vesper's prepared to make his next attack fatal, but he saw two objects fly at him and jumped back in time as the two kunai stuck into the ground in front of Jax. Mina appeared next to him and steadied him.

"Jax? Are you all right?"

Jax groaned as he moved his hand away from his chest, leaving his glove red with blood. Mina quickly tore a piece of her clothing and placed it over the wound.

"Sota, you need to heal Jax!" Mina yelled. But Sota was already engaged with Vesper again.

"After I take this guy down, then I'll heal him," came the reply. Mina was stunned. How could he be so careless?

* * *

Vesper jumped into the air and hurled his scythe at Sota, the weapon glowing with dark energy.

"Flying Guillotine!"

Sota brought up his keyblade and blocked it as it spun against his weapon. Sota finally managed to push it off to the side, but Vesper suddenly appeared above him and kicked him in the face. Sota was knocked backward, but he stuck his keyblade in the ground to stop himself. He then ran at Vesper without a weapon.

_"What is he thinking? Charging without a weapon?"_

Sota punched at Vesper, but Vesper caught it with his right hand. Sota then kicked with his left leg, but Vesper brought his left arm around to stop it. Sota pushed off of him and dropped to the ground a few feet away and raised his hands. The keyblade emerged from the ground and flew at Vesper, who dodged to the side as the keyblade scraped his side. Vesper stepped back as he felt his side.

"Not bad, kid," he said with a smile. He brought his scythe up and slammed it to the ground, causing all the dust and dirt to blow up and blid Sota for a moment. When he could see again, he saw Vesper standing to his left...and his right...and in front of him.

"Three of them?"

Sota eyes shifted back and forth, watching each one. All of them smirked suddenly and they all charged at Sota. Two of the Vesper's came at him from the side.

"Fire Pulse!"

He knocked them backward with the ring of fire, then hurled his keyblade at the one in front of him.

"Fire Raid!"

The keyblade hit him in the chest, knocking Vesper back. But as Sota watched, Vesper only seemed to hover above the ground. He looked at the other two Vespers, who seemed to be suspended in the air as well. Suddenly they seemed to dissolve into a flock of black birds, which hovered around above him. He looked up to see Vesper hovering in the air above him, his eyes piercing down at him.

_"He's become very good, but he's useless if he's not using it."_

Vesper smiled down at Sota as he said, "This has been fun, but I'm afraid your time is up."

Vesper held his hand out, and the black birds suddenly descended toward Sota. As they did, they suddenly transformed into black sickles. Sota was startled to find hundreds of sickles flying at him.

"Black Hurricane!"

"Reflera!"

Just as they were about to hit, Sota cast a reflect spell, knocking them away. Vesper frowned and quickly dropped backward through the air as the sickles flew back at him. He landed on the ground as Sota swung at him, but he slid to the side, spun, and kicked Sota in the back, knocking him away. Sota regained his footing and stood glaring at Vesper. Vesper didn't make any moves this time, but stood watching Sota.

_"Rage in battle, threat of death, lust for power, anger and hatred...nothing has worked. What is the trigger?"_

* * *

Jax winced as Mina placed the cloth to his chest to keep it from bleeding. Mina smiled to help reassure him. Jax looked up at her without any of his usual cockiness.

"Thanks a lot, Mina. You know, I really thought I was going to die there."

"Why?" she asked. He smiled.

"Because I swore I saw an angel by me," he said. She blushed and turned her face away slightly.

_"Wow, how horribly corny, and yet..."_ she thought as she looked back at him, _"pretty sweet."_

Suddenly her eyes widened and she gasped. _"Oh, no! I'm falling for his witless charm!"_

Jax cocked his head to the side as he watched her strange behavior. "You okay?"

Mina was broken out of her nightmarish thoughts. "Oh yeah, I'm great," she said with a nervous laugh. Jax coughed and began to wince. Mina wiped his forehead with her spare hand as the other tried to firmly apply pressure to Jax's wound.

"Hey, don't talk now. Just rest until Sota can heal you."

Jax looked up at her and smiled.

"Thanks, Mina."

She looked back at him and smiled too.

* * *

Vesper watched Sota, then looked back at Jax and Mina. Sota followed Vesper's gaze and cast his eyes back. As soon as Sota saw Jax and Mina smiling at each other, his eyes narrowed and he clenched his teeth. Sota quickly turned back and set his gaze back on Vesper.

"What are you waiting for?" Sota asked him impatiently. Vesper, however, was almost too stunned to move. For a brief moment, he'd felt a dark flare come from Sota before he had turned back.

_"So...it's his jealousy of those two..."_

Vesper smirked upon his realization. Sota watched him, his face a mixture of anger and confusion.

"What is it?" he asked. Vesper shook his head in a way that frustrated Sota, just because it seemed so arrogant.

"Nothing you need to be concerned about. But I think our time is up."

Vesper opened a portal behind himself and began to step back through it.

"You're just leaving? I thought you wanted me to come with you," Sota asked, still angry, but more curious than anything else. Vesper looked into his eyes as he faded into the portal.

"You will join us, Sota. But when you do, it will be by your own doing."

Vesper disappeared, leaving Sota to stare at the spot where he left, deep in thought.

"Sota!"

Sota turned with a start to see Mina glaring at him.

"What?" he retorted. Mina let out an exasperated groan.

"What is wrong with you? Jax is seriously hurt! Get your butt over here and heal him!"

Sota walked over, muttering a low, "Cura," before walking in the direction of the shrine.

"Thanks, man," Jax said, sitting up.

"We'd better hurry. The others are way ahead of us."

Mina and Jax glanced at each other with puzzled expressions before following after Sota.

* * *

**Nightshroud:** Good fight? Hope so. I think most of you probably realize some of what's going on from what you could gather in this chapter. I will say that Reyna wasn't just captured to make Sota mad. She has a definite purpose. But anyway, review and let me know how you liked it. Next chapter will focus more on Inuyasha's group, but Sota and the others will show up toward the end. Next chapter is Iselia's debut! So leave a nice review and I'll get that up soon, k? 8D

Next chapter: **Ensnaring Symphonies: The Melody Charmer Iselia**


	21. Ensnaring Symphonies: The Melody Charmer

********

Chapter XXI: Ensnaring Symphonies: The Melody Charmer Iselia

* * *

**Nightshroud:** I like the title I came up with. Awesome, no? I actually got another picture done, this one of Rolan. Mina, Iselia, and Vesper are partially done. Sorry I haven't updated as fast as I would have liked, but things have been a little hectic around my house. On a good note, I already have evertyhing in this world planned out, so there won't be any cases of writers block. 8D Anyway, enjoy!

* * *

"Damn Heartless," Inuyasha growled as he sliced through one with his claws.

"They do seem to be troublesome, don't they?" Miroku said as he knocked a Shadow to the side with his staff. Kagome kept firing off arrows as fast as she could manage.

"A little help here!" she called. Sango responded to her call and jumped in front of her, slicing through the Heartless with her Hiraikotsu. Shippo rode on Kilala, who leaped at a Carrion and dragged it out of the sky with her fangs in it. Shippo jumped off her back and attacked a group of Shadows that came at Kilala.

"Fox Fire!"

He unleashed small blue flames that hit the Shadows and destroyed them.

"Good job, Shippo," Kagome said with a smile. Shippo smiled bashfully.

"Aww, it was nothing," he said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Yeah, we know," Inuyasha said, looking down at him with superiority. Shippo glared at him as they moved forward again.

"What do you think's happening back there?" Inuyasha wondered aloud as they ran ahead. Miroku placed a hand on his chin as he thought.

"Well, that stranger did seem a bit...imposing. Perhaps we should go back and help."

"Nah, that kid seemed pretty determined to do it himself," Inuyasha said with a shake of his head.

"Since when do you consider other people's wishes?" Kagome asked from on his back. Inuyasha frowned.

"You hardly have room to talk," he retorted. Kagome gasped, then turned her head and pouted. Shippo sighed from behind Miroku.

"There they go again."

"Hey, guys," Sango cut in. They all stopped and looked at her.

"What is it, Sango?" Miroku asked, leaning forward on Kilala's back to see over Sango's shoulder while Shippo hopped on his shoulder.

"It's starting to get foggy," she replied.

"That's weird. I didn't see it a minute ago," Kagome said, looking about. Kilala descended, and the three on her disembarked.

"It's probably safer to go on foot from now on. The fog is pretty thick," Miroku said, peering ahead.

"We should probably hold hands or something," Kagome suggested. Inuyasha crossed his arms over his chest and stuck his nose up in the air.

"There's no way in hell I'm holding hands with everyone."

"Fine!" Kagome yelled. With a huff of exasperation she stomped into the fog.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha yelled, running in after her. Miroku and Sango looked at each other and sighed. Miroku offered his arm to Sango, who accepted with a blush. With Shippo on Miroku's shoulder and Kilala, now in her shrunken form, in Sango's arms, the two followed into the fog after Inuyasha and Kagome.

* * *

Iselia smirked as she watched from her place at the top of the cliff. Her plan was working out better than she hoped.

"The loud-mouthed half demon made it easier than it should have been," Iselia laughed to herself.

"I wouldn't talk about loud mouths," a voice said from behind her. Iselia inwardly cringed.

"Not this creep..."

She turned and saw Naraku smirking at her. She stood up and crossed her arms.

"Who invited you here? I told you I'd get the princess myself."

Naraku chuckled and grabbed her by the chin.

"Careful. That firey spirit will get you in trouble."

"I'll keep that in mind," she said, pushing his hand away.

"I'm just making sure that Diana's end of the bargain is upheld. I want what's mine."

"Believe me, you'll get what's yours," she said. Naraku didn't seem to catch her hidden meaning, and was content to return to his own business. Iselia sat down again and forced herself to concentrate as she lifted her weapon to her lips.

* * *

Kagome stamped her foot in frustration.

"If only he hadn't been so stubborn!" she fumed. Now she was totally lost. She looked about and sighed.

"Maybe it's my fault too..."

Seeing no other option, she continued forward. As she felt the terrain climbing higher, the fog seemed to lift. She finally found herself standing high on the mountain, everything clear and fresh. She looked back and saw that the fog just seemed to linger in a patch between where she stood and where she had come from.

"That's weird..."

A sound suddenly broke through the silence on the mountain. It was a soothing, yet somehow sad sound that drifted through the air around her.

"Music?"

Kagome put her hand to her head as she felt a sudden dizziness. Was it her imagination, or were the leaves blowing around her? Her eye lids drooped slowly, and her eyes grew cloudy. The air seemed to grow thick with the sound. Everything was swimming in front of her.

* * *

"Enchanting Melody: Mesmeric Control!"

Iselia watched with a smile as Kagome fell under her control.

_"That's right. Now, walk through the portal."_

A corridor of darkness appeared in front of Kagome. As Iselia'd tune continued to float about her, Kagome slowly walked toward the portal.

_"Good. Just a little closer."_

"Kagome!"

_"What?!"_

Iselia watched from her place on the cliff as Inuyasha bounded out of the fog and grabbed Kagome by the shoulders.

"Kagome, what's wrong with you?" he demanded, shaking her.

"Hmm? Wha..." she mumbled, beginning to come about. Iselia stood and glared down at the half demon.

"You! What the hell do you think your doing, dog sh-"

Iselia stopped suddenly as she heard the sound of something flying through the air. She turned and saw Sango's Hiraikotsu flying through the air at her. She quickly jumped off the cliff as the boomerang broke the edge off. Iselia lifted her weapon to her lips as she fell.

* * *

Kagome shook her head and looked up in time to see Iselia drifting down through the air slowly, as though falling with a parachute, while she played a soft, cotinuous note. When her feet touched the ground, she immediately ran toward the path leading up the cliff, but Inuyasha jumped in the way, blocking her escape.

"Get the hell out of my way!" she barked at him.

"Not a chance. You better start talking. Who are you? And what were you doing with Kagome?" Inuyasha demanded. Iselia smirked.

"You'll find that out soon enough. But I don't have time to waste here."

Iselia lifted her weapon to her lips, and Miroku's eyes widened in surprise.

"What is it, Miroku?" Sango asked.

"Her weapon...it's an ocarina," Miroku said.

"That's right," said Iselia with a nod. "And you will be priviledged enough to hear one of my special tunes."

Iselia began playing a loud, deep note. Everyone noticed that the ground began to shake.

"What's going on?" Shippo asked, jumping on Kagome shoulder. Suddenly the ground began splitting, cracking, and splintering violently outward from Iselia. Inuyasha quickly grabbed Kagome and shielded her as the ground exploded upward.

* * *

Sota, Mina, and Jax stopped short as they saw an explosion further up the mountain.

"That must be Inuyasha and the others," Mina said with a look of concern.

"We'd better hurry. Come on!" Sota said, sprinting up the path.

Kagome opened her eyes to see Inuyasha on top of her. They both blushed before Kagome shoved him off of her. She saw Miroku and Sango together.

"Where's Shippo?" she wondered aloud. She looked behind to see Shippo, dazed and flattened.

"Oh, Shippo! I'm so sorry!" she said, picking him up.

"Where did the-" Miroku stopped short when he saw Sango look at him. "strangely dressed lady go?"

Inuyasha's eyes widened and he looked about.

"She got away! Damn it!" he cursed.

"She couldn't have gotten to far away," Sango reasoned. "If we hurry, we should be able to catch up."

Inuyasha nodded.

"Let's go."

Kagome hopped on his back, and the others climbed on Kilala, and they took off toward the shrine.

"Dirty dog bastard almost had me," Iselia panted as she walked into the shrine.

"So, you didn't get the princess?" she head a voice ask. She knew it was Naraku, but she couldn't see him. She peered ahead. He must be in the shadows at the back of the shrine.

"No. Inuyasha and the others showed up just in time. I couldn't face all of them at once, so you'd better have a good idea."

She walked forward as he replied.

"Actually I do. Inuyasha's group and the keyblade group might be a little too much. So I'm going to need a little extra power."

By the time he had finished, Iselia was standing in the shadows.

"What did you have in mind?" she asked, looking about. She suddenly felt something thick and slimy wrap around her leg. She looked down and was instantly repulsed.

"What the hell is this?" she yelled, tryinbg to shake it off, but it only continued to worm it way up her leg. Another strange tentacle shot out of the dark and wrapped around her torso and arm opposite her entangled leg. Naraku emerged from the shadows, only a head on a blob of sickening tentacles and other slimy parts.

"Once I absorb you, I should have enough energy to defeat Inuyasha and the keyblader," he said with a sickening smirk as he pulled her closer to him. She cursed and squirmed, but she couldn't get free.

"I always imagined I'd die taking down hundreds of bastards with me, not being this effed-up pyscho's meal," she lamented.

"Naraku!" they both heard. Iselia turned her head and saw Inuyasha and his group standing at the entrance to the shrine.

"Inuyasha, what a pleasant surprise," Naraku said with mock politeness. He shot a tentacle at Inuyasha, but Inuyasha used Tessaiga to hack it off.

"And where is the keyblade boy?" he asked, as he directed a series of tentacles at them.

"Wind Scar!" Inuyasha yelled, sending a powerful shockwave of wind at Naraku. Naraku smirked and put up a barrier as Inuyasha's attack got close. The barrier reflected the attack back, causing Inuyasha and the others to scatter as it ripped apart the entrance to the shrine. Naraku laughed, but his eyes widned when Inuyasha landed in front of him, Tessaiga glowing red.

"The Red Tessaiga?" Naraku growled. Inuyasha smirked and sliced through Naraku's barrier. Naraku quickly swatted him aside with a tentacle. He suddenly flet tremendous spiritual force and looked to see Kagome fire a scared arrow at him. He had just enough time to push Iselia and the right side of his body aside as the arrow riped through him.

_"Meddling wench..."_

"And here's Jax!"

Naraku looked up to see Jax slice through Naraku's tentacles and grab Iselia, both falling to the ground. Jax quickly rolled to the side as Naraku's tentacles shot upward through the floorboards. As soon as they were safe, Iselia shoved Jax off of her. Jax rubbed his head and glared.

"What, no thank you?" he mumbled.

"So now the party's all here," Inuyasha said, brandishing Tessaiga. Naraku smirked as he morphed into a more human form (like the one he used after Mount Hakurei).

"Then let us begin."

* * *

**Nightshroud:** A pretty good amount of action for a filler chapter. Next is Naraku's fight. I'm going on vacation Friday and won't be back until Sunday, so I won't have a chapter for a few days, but I'll try to get one up when I get back. So leave a nice review and I'll get back faster. 8D

Next chapter: I'll have to think of one, hehe.


	22. Pandemonium

********

Chapter XXII: Pandemonium

* * *

**Nightshroud:** Sorry this chapter took so long, but I was at orientation last Thurs and Fri, then in New York City for vacation Sat and Sun, then I found out that fanfiction deleted one of my one shots. I got pretty mad so I didn't feel like updating (besides that they wouldn't let me update for a few days anyway). So my apologies. Hmm what do you think of the title? It just sort of came to me. Let me know bout that. Now on with the chapter!

* * *

"Then let us begin."

Naraku shot a beam out of the horn on his elbow, which zigzagged toward Sota. Sota dived out of the way and aimed his keyblade at Naraku.

"Fira!"

The fireblast hit him against the wall. He looked up to see Inuyasha swing at him. He ducked to the side as Tessaiga smashed through the wall of the shrine. Jax ran forward to help, but he was suddenly hit from the side by a sound wave. He looked up to see Iselia with her ocarina to her mouth.

"What are you doing? He tried to eat you! Why are you helping him?" Jax demanded. Iselia smirked.

"Who said I'm helping him? I'm in this for myself."

She played the tune that she did on the mountain.

"Chorus of Pandemonium!"

The ground shook violently and the floor exploded upward. Jax jumped back and swung his sword, sending a wind shockwave at Iselia.

"Damn."

She dove to the side as the blast crashed through the wall. Iselia looked up to see Sango swing down at her with her boomerang. Iselia rolled to the side as the boomerang smashed the floor and kicked the back of Sango's leg, knocking her down. Iselia jumped back as she watched the two get themselves together and prepare to attack again.

* * *

Naraku grew sharp horns out of his forearms and swiped at Sota with them. Sota blocked the one with Brave Soul, but got sliced on the cheek by the other and was knocked back. Mina saw Naraku go for Sota to finish him off.

"Thunder Spark!" she called, holding up her summon charm. Dark clouds formed overhead that shot down bolts of lightning, which combined into one before hitting the ground. When the smoke cleared a large wolf was standing there. It stood almost at equal height with Mina herself. It's fur was a bluish silver, and all its hair stood up, bristling with electricity.

"Get him, Todo!"

The wolf snarled and shot a bolt of blue lightning from its mouth. Naraku tried to raise a barrier, but the bolt shot through his left shoulder before he could. Naraku shot a beam out of his elbow horn, but Todo jumped back to avoid it.

"Blaze Blitz!" Mina called. The wolf barked and shot forward, spinning like a blinding tornado. He tore through Naraku's chest, then stopped spinning and slid back before lunging to take a bite at Naraku's floating head. Naraku smirked as a blackish-purple cloud rose up from his remains.

"Miasma!" Miroku warned.

"Stop!" Mina ordered the wolf. It stopped short, growling murderously at Naraku, who only laughed as his body started to reform. Naraku spit miasma out of his mouth, which flowed at Toto like a river. The wolf turned into blue lightning and shot away to the other side of Naraku.

"Firaga!" Naraku called, casting a fire spell with his left hand.

"Blizzaga!" he called, casting it with his right hand. The two attacks combined to form a blast of water.

"Return!" Mina called, summoning the wolf back into the charm before the water could hit it. Naraku laughed.

"Is that all you could manage?" he taunted. Miroku pulled out sutras and threw them at the demon. As the sutras hit him, they set off a flash of light that blinded him.

"Now, Inuyasha!" Miroku said. Inuyasha jumped and slashed Naraku in half, but Naraku sliced Inuyasha's shoulder, causing him to fall to the side. One of Naraku's energy beams shot at Inuyasha.

"Reflera!"

Sota used a reflect spell to block Naraku's attack, saving Inuyasha. But now the demon's attention was on him.

Iselia started to play a soft, sad tune. Jax turned as he noticed Sango's boomerang drop slightly. Her eyelids were half closed, and her eyes were glassy.

"Enchanting Melody: Mesmeric Control!"

Iselia chuckled to herself as Sango came under her control. Jax was taken by surprise as Sango swung her boomerang at Jax's head. Jax ducked and pushed with his foot against her stomach hard enough to knock her away. Jax quickly got up and ran at Iselia, but Sango moved and blocked Jax's swing with her boomerang. Jax could see Iselia's blue-green eyes past Sango, dancing with pleasure at turning the tables on her opponent.

"Aerora!"

Jax cast a wind barrier around himself which knocked Sango back into Iselia, knocking both to the floor. How he enjoyed seeing the sparkle disappear from her eye when her ocarina fell from her hands and her mind control wore off.

"Suck on that," Jax said with a grin. Iselia growled and shoved the dazed Sango off of her.

"It's on now!" she spat out.

* * *

Naraku slashed at Sota with the horns growing from his forearms, but Sota jumped in the air and bashed Naraku's head. He was stunned momentarily, allowing Inuyasha to get a good swipe at him.

Shippo hid behind Kagome's leg as they watched the fight.

"What should we do, Kagome?" he asked. Kagome looked frustrated as she held her bow in one hand a nd an arrow in the other.

"I can't get a good shot at Naraku, and I don't know if I can actually shoot at another human," she said, referring to Iselia.

"Oh, Inuyasha's been hurt!" Shippo wailed. Kagome looked to see Naraku rake a horn across Inuyasha's chest. Miroku swatted Naraku with his staff, then stuck a sutra to his back. Naraku was shocked by its holy power.

"Fire Raid!"

Sota threw his keyblade, enchanted with fire, at Naraku, slamming him against the wall. Naraku tried to retaliate, but Mina slammed him back into the wall with a thunder spell.

"Nothing we do is working," Mina panted to Miroku. "All we can do is hold him back for however long we can last."

"Wait, I may have an idea," Miroku said.

"Well, let's hear it," Inuyasha rudely ordered.

* * *

Jax ran at Iselia and swung down at her.

"Protega!"

A shield appeared between them, blocking Jax's attack. Iselia dropped to the ground and kicked Jax's leg out from under him, dropping him to the ground. She jumped at him and the two went rolling on the floor until Iselia ended up on top.

"This is hot," he said with a slight grin as she looked down at him. She rolled her eyes and slapped him.

"Pervert," she hissed as her hands shot at his throat. He smirked before she felt he rolled back enough so that he could kick Iselia in the back, throwing her over him and to the ground. She got up and raised her ocarina to her lips with a malicious glare, but suddenly fell to the ground as Sango hit her on the back of the neck.

"That should put her down for a little while," Sango sighed.

* * *

"All right, let'ds make this work!" Sota said. Naraku laughed.

"Nothing you do can stop me," he said with a smirk. Inuyasha gripped Tessaiga in his hands.

"We'll see about that."

Miroku threw sutras at Naraku, but he spit out miasma and destroyed them in midair.

"Wind Scar!" Inuyasha yelled, unleashing the powerful attack at Naraku. Naraku smirked and started to raise a barrier.

"Thundara!"

The lightning bolt hit Naraku in the shoulder, startling him and keeping him from creating the barrier. The Wind Scar ripped through Naraku, leaving his shredded body about. The head and chest began to reform as Naraku laughed at them.

"You see, nothing you do can stop me."

Suddenly Sota jumped and stabbed his keyblade into Naraku's chest. Naraku's eyes widened as Sota stood on his chest, keyblade plunged in, the rest of his body hanging about in limbo.

"Now, Kagome!" Miroku yelled. Naraku looked past Sota to see Kagome fire a scared arrow at him. Sota backflipped over the arrow as it flew through the air and shot through Naraku. Without time to even cry out he faded out of existence.

"He's gone," Mina sighed with relief. Inuyasha grunted.

"Heh, he'll probably be back sooner or later. But for now, it's enough."

"Nice going," Jax said, walking over to Sota and Mina.

"It was Miroku's plan," Sota said modestly. Miroku chuckled.

"Well you all pulled it off. I think the most thanks goes to Kago-"

Miroku stopped as he turned around. Iselia had her arm around Kagome's throat and was dragging her toward a portal. Kagome managed to get her mouth away from Iselia's hand.

"Inuyasha!" she screamed. Everyone turned to see Kagome being pulled into the portal.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha cried, running foward, but it was too late. With one last caustic smile, Iselia pulled her in, and they vanished from the world.

"Damn it!" Inuyasha yelled, punching the ground.

"Kagome," Sango sighed, tears brimming in her eyes.

"They got another one," Sota sighed.

* * *

"Iselia, you've returned," Diana said coolly. "But where is Naraku?"

Iselia hated Diana's games. She knew that the queen already knew what had transpired. She looked over Vesper, who seemed to be avoiding the situation. She'd have questions for him later.

"He failed, my queen," Iselia forced out. Marsilio scoffed.

"If you had worked together as planned, there's no way that he could have lost."

"Well things didn't go as planned. Who cares about him anyway? I got the princess, and we have one less person to share power with. Diana laughed smoothly.

"I've always liked your thinking, Iselia. However," and here she grew cold, "we need those keyblade brats out of the way so that they don't interfere with our plans!"

"My Queen," Marsilio said with a sweeping bow, "Allow me to suggest a plan."

* * *

"And she took Kagome?" Kaede asked softly. Miroku nodded sadly. Shippo was sobbing, Sango was sadly trying to comfort him, and Inuyasha was outside, staring into the sky without saying a word. The keyblade group was starting to feel out of place.

"I'm glad we could help," Sota said quietly, "but we need to go."

"Wait!" Kaede said. She hesitated, as if still making up her mind, then gave in.

"Ye mentioned...the keyhole before, correct?" They nodded.

"I can show it to ye," she said. "Follow me."

* * *

"The tree where I was bound for fifty years," Inuyasha said quietly. They all stood in front of the tree, gazing quietly. A keyhole suddenly appeared in the bark, glowing and emitting a soft light. Sota raised his keyblade and a shaft of light shor from the tip into the keyhole. It disappeared in a flash of light, a small locking sound letting them know that it was over.

"Another world down," Mina said with a half-smile. Sota looked at the others, all sad but trying to hold themselves together.

"We'll find Kagome. That's a promise."

Miroku, Sango, and Shippo smiled and thanked him. Sota looked over at Inuyasha, who gave him a silent nod.

"I'll leave it to you."

* * *

**Nightshroud:** I thought Nature Spark sounded stupid, so I made it Thunder Spark! 8D Mina's summon is based on the Thundery card from Card Captor Sakura. Don't think Iselia's not too good, because I purposely didn't use most of her good techniques. Saving them for later hehe. Next world is Ruroni Kenshin! That used to be my favorite anime a few years back. I haven't seen it in a while, so this may be difficult. Bear with me, k? 8J

Next chapter: Sorry, but I'm not doing so well on naming the chapters before I write them.


	23. Man on Fire

********

Chapter XXIII: Man on Fire

* * *

**Nightshroud:** Sorry I didn't go into much description on the world characters, but if you want to know what they look like, just google them, k? I actually have drawn Jax, Iselia, Rolan, Vesper, and Marsilio. I'm working on Sota next. His drawing turned out suprisingly awesome. 8D Oh, and I'm sure you can see where the title came from (if you know anything of Shishio from Ruroni Kenshin).

* * *

Sota sighed and leaned back in his seat on the gummi ship.

"You know, it's getting hard watching the princesses taken from their loved ones right before our eyes."

"Don't be too hard on yourself," Mina said quietly.

"But what kind of hero am I when I can't save anyone?"

"Not a very good one," Jax agreed. Sota gave him an unamused look.

"Then it's a good thing we have you, right, Jax? After all, we can count on you to beat a girl, right?"

As he walked away, Jax stared in dibelief.

"D-Did he just insult _me_?"

Mina sat quietly thinking. Something had gotten into Sota. That much she was sure of.

* * *

The bounty hunter Raven Celes was standing in hall off Diana's throneroom, gazing at the woman frozen in graceful sleep.

"You've got quite a collection going here," he said to Vesper, who had just walked in. Vesper smirked.

"Yes, things are going along nicely."

Raven nodded in agreement and continued to look.

"I hear your services have been enlisted again," Vesper said nonchalantly.

"They want me to find and kill the keybearer," Raven said. Vesper nodded.

"What would you say to a slight change in plans?" he asked slyly, pulling out a bag of munny.

* * *

Mina rolled over and stared at the ceiling. She had trouble getting to bed most of the time. She had been very troubled most of her childhood after her mother died. And now with her father dead, it was almost too much for her. She remembered a song her mother used to sing to her when she was little. It always made her feel comforted.

_Hush now, my baby  
Be still love, don't cry  
Sleep like you're rocked by the stream  
Sleep and remember  
My lullaby  
And I'll be with you when you dream_

_Drift on a river  
That flows through my arms  
Drift as I'm singing to you  
I see you smiling  
So peaceful and calm  
And holding you, I'm smiling, too  
Here in my arms  
Safe from all harm  
Holding you, I'm smiling, too_

_Hush now, my baby  
Be still, love, don't cry  
Sleep like you're rocked by the stream  
Sleep and remember this river lullaby  
And I'll be with you when you dream  
I'll be with you when you dream_

"You have a beautiful voice," someone said from her doorway. She sat up, startled, and looked.

"Oh, Jax."

"Sorry," he said embarrassed, "I didn't mean to startle you."

She shook her head.

"It's okay. What are you doing up anyway?"

"I was walking past to the kitchen when I heard you singing. It's a nice song. Where did you learn it?"

"My mother used to sing it to me when I was little," she said, feeling emotion well up. She couldn't hold it back, and tears started to flow. Jax wrapped his arms around her as she began to cry into his chest. He tried his best to remember her song and sang quietly to her.

After she had finsihed her cry, she sat up, slightly embarrassed. She had always been a headstrong, independent girl, and feeling this helpless was something new to her.

"You have a nice voice," she said after a few moments. Now it was Jax's turn to blush.

"I never thought of myself as a singer," he said. They both were quiet for a few moments before Mina said softly.

"Did you ever think of where you're going to go after this is all over?"

Jax looked thoughtful, then shrugged.

"We'll figure something out." She smiled.

"Thanks."

Sota clutched his shoulder as he felt a burning pain. He sulked back to his room, unaware of why he suddenly felt such resentment toward the two in the other room.

* * *

"So, anyone know where we are?" asked as they emerged from the gummi ship. They were in a village of Japanese style, standing in the deserted streets.

"Nuh uh, but..." Mina said, as she looked in the distance, I think I see fire."

The three ran to investigate when Samurai Nobodies, Shadow Heartless, Red Nocturnes emerged. Sota ran at a Samurai, who swung his sword at Sota's neck.

"Fade!"

Sota turned ghostlike as he passed through the Nobody and sliced through its back. He then swatted away a Red Nocturne that flew at him.

"Fire Pulse!"

He blasted back a group of Shadows and Samurai with a ring of fire. Mina blocked a Samurai's sword and slashed through its throat. She turned as two Shadows came up behind her. Two kunai suddenly plunged through both of them, causing them to fade away. Mina blinked and looked up as a girl dropped from the roof in front of her. She had long black hair in a ponytail and was wearing a black and grey kunoichi (female ninja) outfit with a pink ribbon around her waist.

"What are you three doing out here? All civilians were supposed to evacuate!"

"We're not civilians," Mina said, crossing her arms.

"OOH," Jax said, appearing next to the girl and eyeing her up and down.

"Get off of me," the girl said, placing her hand on the middle of Jax's face and shoving him back.

"Who are you?" Sota asked her.

"I'm Misao," she said, hooking a thumb toward herself. "And you are?"

"I'm Sota, and this is Jax and Mina."

"I see. Well what are you doing here? You're not with Shishio, are you?"

"Who's Shishio?" Mina asked. They didn't realize that they were following Misao.

"Oh, he's a legend of a fighter. He could kill men without blinking, and unstoppable fighter. He was burned alive when the government deemed him too dangerous to keep around."

"And he's the one who brought the Heartless here?" Jax asked. Misao nodded.

"Kenshin's gone off to fight him now. The rest of us are here fighting to keep the Heartless at bay."

"There's more of you?" Mina asked. Misao smiled.

"Here they are."

There was a young woman with long black hair in a ponytail, a young boy with spiky black hair, and a young man with spiky brown hair.

"This is Kaoru, Yahiko, and Sanoske."

"Pleased to meet you," Kaoru said pleasently. Yahiko nodded, and Sano grunted.

"How long has Kenshin been gone?" Sota asked. Kaoru sighed.

"A while now. I hope he's okay."

"We'd better go help him. Which way did he go?"

Kaoru pointed to show them.

"Mina, you stay here to help them out. We'll be back, soon," Jax told her. She nodded, and they took off.

* * *

"Why are you doing this, Shishio?" Kenshin demanded.

"Because only the strong survive in the world. The storngest deserve to rule, and it is by that law of nature that I derive the right to rule this world, and me alone!"

He dragged his sword across the ground, igniting the tip in a blaze of flame.

"Secret Sword Tenchnique: Blazing Soul!"

He swung his sword at Kenshin, but Kenshin brought his sword up and blocked it. Shishio brought his other arm across and punched Kenshin in the stomach. Shishio took the advantage of the slight drop in guard, slamming his palm across Kenshin's face and throwing him back.

"Is that really all you've got?" Shishio asked with a harsh laugh. The long, red-haired man stood up and panted heavily.

"I am going to stop you, Shishio, that I am. And nothing you throw at me will help you."

Shishio smirked and held his hand up.

"I'd like to test that theory. Firaga!"

Shishio shot a powerful fire spell at Kenshin, who was too weak to dodge.

"Reflega!"

A powerful shield appeared around Kenshin and knocked the fireball back at Shishio, who dodged out of the way as it crashed into the wall behind him.

"Oh, so the keyblade brats have arrived?" he asked. Sota and Jax held up their weapons.

"That's right, so if you want to take over this sworld, you'll have to go through us first," Sota said. Shishio laughed.

"Fine then. It'll be easier just to finish you all off now."

He dragged his sword across the ground, igniting the tip in a blaze of flame.

"Blazing Soul!"

This time he whipped the sword about, causing flames to circle around Sota and Jax. While they were out of the way, Shishio grabbed Kenshin by the neck and held him up.

"I think it's time you went out with a bang," Shishio said with a cruel smile. Kenshin's eyes widened.

_"His glove...it smells like...gunpowder!"_

"Secret Sword Tenchinque 2: Crimson Gauntlet!"

He drew his sword across his glove, igniting it in a powerful explosion. Jax and Sota watched in horror as Kenshin's body was flung through the air before his body hit the ground with a sickening thud, his eyes wide and vacant.

"Kenshin!" they both yellled. Shishio laughed, and turned his attention to them as the flames around them died.

"How rude of me to keep you waiting. But now we won't have any..." and here he laughed "interruptions."

Jax turned to Sota.

"You need to go check on Kenshin. I'll hold him off." Sota nodded. As he ran toward Kenshin, Shishio growled.

"Firaga!"

He shot a powerful fire spell at Sota, but Jax jumped in front of it and blocked it with his sword. Shishio saw Sota getting closer to Kenshin.

"Blazing Soul!"

He swung his sword, the tip ignited in flame, and sent a wave of fire that cut through the arena, separating Sota from Kenshin.

"I think you'd better pay attention to me, boy!" Shishio yelled, unleashing a wave of fire at him.

* * *

Mina wiped her forhead as she pulled her kunai out of another Heartless.

"There doesn't seem to be an end to them, huh?" she said to Misao. Misao sighed.

"No, but we just have to hold out until Kenshin can defeat Shishio."

"But what if-"

Mina was interrupted as several blurs of pink light shot from the air and pierced through the Heartless around them.

"What the hell was that?" Sanoske asked. Mina's lungs drew tight as a familiar face appeared in front of them.

"Who are you?" Yahiko demanded. Marsilio gave him a momentary glance, then turned his gaze to Mina.

"Ah, the girl with the keybearer. So you're here already."

"You know him?" Kaoru asked. Mina didn't reply to her, but looked straight at Marsilio.

"What do you want?" she demanded.

"The princess, of course."

* * *

**Nightshroud:** Sanoske was originally with Kenshin in this fight if you ever watched the anime, but for obvious reasons I put him in the other group to focus more on Sota and Jax. I didn't like this chapter really, but it was just a set up for next chapter. Boss fights with Shishio and Marsilio. Quite a treat, I think. 8D On a side note, I was actually planning to put one more OC in the party, but I decided against it since the group of three seems to work well. There will be other OC characters for them to meet, however (and soon too). I was actually thinking (after looking at some fan made keyblade desgins) that it would be cool if they made a game like Star Wars: Jedi Academy. Kingdom Hearts: Keyblade Academy! Like you get to design your own keyblade, choose a preference of offense, desfense, or magic, and go to classes to learn how to fight and stuff. Maybe I'll just make that a fic or something. Tell me what you think.

Next chapter: **Flaming Passion**


	24. Flaming Passion

********

Chapter XXIV: Flaming Passion

* * *

**Nightshroud:** Sorry for taking so long with this one. Every time I tried to update my brother or sister would boot me off the computer. Anyway, here it is!

* * *

"What are you here for?" Mina demanded, looking right back into Marsilio's cold grey eyes.

"The princess, of course."

"And you think I'm going to let you?" Mina said with a humorless laugh. Suddenly she saw four sharp, faded pink swords pointed at her, suspended in the air.

"It doesn't matter what you decide to do. The result will be the same."

Suddenly Marsilio silently cursed as a kunai made a shallow slice in his hand. Mina jumped back before Marsilio had a chance to recover.

"Thanks, Misao," she thanked the other ninja girl. Misao nodded.

"So what's this guy after anyway?" she asked. Mina frowned.

"If I had to guess, I'd say he's after Kaoru."

"Oh yeah? I'd like to see him try," Sano countered. Marsilio glared at them.

"Gladly."

The four swords replicated to form at least ten. He motioned forward with his hands and the blades flew at them. Mina backflipped as swords stabbed in the ground around her. She jumped back and landed on the roof of the building behind her.

"Thundara!"

Marsilio slid back as a thunderbolt scorched the ground mere inches from him. He motioned with his hands, and his blades pointed at Mina. Mina was thrown to the ground as the roof splintered upward from the force behind his swords. She looked up to see him alit on the roof, then had to roll aside the next second as his sword pierced the ground where she was laying.

"Hey, you! Over here!"

Marsilio turned as Sanoske, standing on the edge of the roof, slammed his sword down, sending a shockwave at him that ripped up the roof. Marsilio grabbed two of the swords out of the air, and with a simple motion of the blades, directed the attack off to the side, destroying a building next to them. Marsilio then took his swords and crossed the like an x over his back as Yahiko struck at him from behind. Marsilio twisted around and gave Yahiko a sharp kick to the stomach, knocking him off the roof. Marsilio jumped down as Mina was recovering her weapons.

"Where is the keyblade master?" Marsilio asked her indifferently.

"He's not here," Mina spat at him.

"That's too bad. I wanted to finish you all off now. I suppose that will have to wait."

Marsilio turned and blocked an attack by Kaoru. She stepped back quickly as Marsilio brought his sword down for another attack. Kaoru crossed her arms over her head and caught Marsilio's blade with the back of her hands, allowing her to maintain her grip on her sword while catching his sword at the same time.

"Impressive technique," Marsilio mumbled. Kaoru smirked.

"You've seen nothing yet."

Kaoru twisted her wrists, thus stripping Marsilio of his weapon.

"Now!"

She thrust her blade forward, but in a flash of pink another sword was in Marsilio's hand, blocking Kaoru's sword.

"What?" she said, blinking in surprise.

"Just because it's impressive doesn't mean it's flawless," Marsilio said arrogantly. He forced her sword to the side, grabbed her wrists, and elbowed her in the stomach. She staggered back and fell to the ground, trying to catch her breath. Mina gripped her kunai as she headed for Marsilio.

_"This is looking bad..."_

* * *

Sota spun his keyblade as Shishio unleashed another fire spell at him, dispersing the attack. Shishio moved blindingly fast and slashed at Sota's unprotected side. Jax suddenly rammed Shishio from the side, causing him to slide away to regain his footing. Shishio sliced at them with his Blazing Soul technique, but Sota quickly used a reflect spell to protect them.

"

Shishio swung his down, sending off a flaming shockwave as it smashed into the ground. Sota jumped out of the way and hurled his keyblade at Shishio.

"Strike Raid!"

Shishio brought his sword up and blocked the keyblade, which Sota summoned summoned back to his hand. He then rushed at Shishio and slashed down, but Shishio dodged it and swiped Sota with the flat of his blade, throwing him to the ground. Then he summoned a fireball to his hand and hurled it Sota, blasting him into a wall. Jax attacked Shishio from the side, but Shishio jumped back as Jax's sword split the ground were it hit. Jax let go of his sword and rushed at Shishio in a burst of speed.

"Air Hammer!"

Jax landed multiple intense punches on Shishio, knocking him back.

"Blazing Soul!"

Shishio ignited the tip of his sword and swung at Jax. Jax ducked down to avoid it, but Shishio anticipated it and landed a kick in his face, knocking him to the ground. Sota leaped at Shishio from behind, but Shishio parried his attack, then grabbed his neck and slammed him into the ground. He laughed wickedly until Sota planted his feet on Shishio's chest and kicked him back. Shishio slid back and sent off a flaming shockwave at Sota. Sota barely dodged out of the way as the attack hit the ground by him, throwing him to the ground from the explosion.

"Sota!" Jax called.

Sota looked up startled as Shishio swung his sword at him. He jumped over it and kicked Shishio in the face. Shishio flipped backward and threw a fireball at Sota, who dodged it and ran at Shishio. They locked swords, and neither seemed to shake the other off. Suddenly Shishio smirked and did a spin kick, knocking Sota back across the floor.

Sota got up as Shishio created a circle of fire and jumped back into it. Sota and Jax looked around, waiting for an attack. Suddenly Shishio jumped out and uppercutted Sota into the air. He turned before Jax could move and slammed a fireball into his chest, blasting him back. Shishio jumped after him and swung his sword, but Jax blocked it, then pushed back and swiped at him, knocking him to the ground. Shishio got up and puffed his chest out, then spewed out flames from his mouth.

"Strike Raid!"

The keyblade shot through the fire and struck Shishio, knocking him back. Shishio ran forward and grinded his right fist, causing sparks of flame to errput. Then he winded up and punched with all his might into the ground, sending off a flaming shockwave. Sota was blasted back into the wall, and in a second Shishio had slammed his elbow into his stomach.

"Little fool! I'll kill you!"

"I don't think so!"

Shishio turned as Jax took a charm from his pocket and held it up.

"Earth Glow!"

The ground began to glow a brownish-yellow, then suddenly errupted upward. A strange creature emerged from the hole. It had cream colored body, which was elongated on the bottom (like a horse) with four large paws with three long golden claws. The upperhalf was muscular and had a strange row of golden metal plates and spikes starting on it head and down the length of its spine. It's head was boarlike (minus a snout), and had large golden tusks coming from its face. In one of its large clawed hands it held a double-sided golden axe.

"Go, Diabound!"

The creature reared up on its back legs and slammed its axe to the ground. Large spikes errupted from the ground toward Shishio. Shishio dived to the side and unleashed his Blazing Soul at the monster, but with a swing of its axe it dissipated it. Diabound leaped forward and swung its axe downward, but Shishio just barely managed to slide back in time to avoid its attack. The next second, though, Shishio felt a massive fist planted in his stomach and went hurtling backward into a wall. Diabound ran foward at Shishio, swinging its axe about. Shishio summoned fir to his hand and aimed it forward.

"Firaga!"

"That's useless. Diabound can shrug off almost all types of magic."

The fire spell flew past Diabound, much to Jax's shock, and collided into Jax, knocking Jax out. Diabound then disappeared right as his axe flew at Shishio's head.

"Haha! It's impossible to defeat me," Shishio bragged. Sota forced himself up.

"There's no way we're going to lose here," Sota said.

"You've got courage, that you do."

Sota and Shishio turned in surprise. Kenshin stood, holding his sword, a confident smile on his face.

* * *

Marsilio was about to go for Kaoru, still on the floor, but Mina caught his attention with a near-hit thunder spell.

"Hey, you're still going to have to go through me first."

Marsilio turned with an annoyed look.

"Very well."

He summoned two swords to his hands while two other hovered by him remotely.

"Haste!" Mina said, casting a spell on herself. She ran forward in short, powerful bursts, appearing one moment and disappearing the next to confuse him. She came at him from his unprotected side.

"Hah, I've got you now!"

She thrust forward with her kunai, but was instantly paralyzed with shock. Marsilio, still not looking at her, had placed his sword right in the path of her kunai, blocking the attack.

"When are you going to learn. You're no match for me, little one."

He grabbed her by the neck and held her up while he brought his sword up to her neck.

"Now, die."

Marsilio's eyes suddenly widened with surprise. Mina looked behind him and saw Misao standing behind him with kunai in his back. Misao smiled back at her. Marsilio drew his mouth into a sneer.

"Scatter Burst!"

His body suddenly exploded in a burst of cherry blossoms, throwing them both backward. Mina hit against the side of a building and gasped as pain shot through her spine. She felt helpless as Marsilio stooped down and grabbed Kaoru. She stuggled against him, but it was in vain.

"Give the keybearer my warmest regards."

He and Kaoru vanished through a corridor of darkness. Mina slumped against the wall and shut her eyes.

* * *

Shishio growled as Kenshin stood by Sota.

"I think it's time we ended this Shishio," Kenshin said. Shishio laughed.

"You couldn't stop me before, and you won't now."

Kenshin ran forward and slashed at Shishio with blinding speed, but Shishio was able to parry it in time. Shishio smirked at him, but knew something was wrong from Kenshin's smile. He suddenly felt a pang of pain as Sota slammed his keyblade into Shishio's back. Shishio jumped away from both of them and panted.

"You want to end this now. Then fine!"

Kenshin ran forward and prepared his most powerful attack.

"Nine Headed Dragon's Strike!"

His sword moved with blinding speed toward Shishio's nine vital points.

"Spirit God Born in Flames!"

Shishio drew his sword across his scabbard, igniting it. A miniature fiery cyclone appeared around the blade and he swung it, blocking Kenshin's attack. Kenshin and Sota both gasped in surprise. Kenshin jumped back and stood next to Sota as Shishio laughed.

"Don't you see it's pointless?"

Kenshin said quietly to Sota, "One more go."

Sota nodded. They both ran in opposite direction, Kenshin from the back and Sota from the front. Kenshin zigzagged toward Shishio while Sota leaped through the air at him, setting his keyblade aflame. Before Shishio could react, both of them slashed through him. Shishio gasped, then suddenly burst into flames. Darkness creeped around him as he laughed insanely for his last few moments.

"It is done. That it is," Kenshin said. Sota breathed a sigh of relief.

"It's a relief, that it is," Jax mumbled, getting up.

* * *

Sota held Mina as she painfully told them what had happened. Kenshin looked away, hiding the pain he felt. Everyone's heads were hung low.

"You did what you could," Sota quietly told her.

"But it wasn't enough," she said tearfully. Jax sighed and stooped down, scooping her up in his arms.

"C'mon, let's get you back to the gummi ship," he said.

"Goodbye, Mina," Misao said. The two girls held hands for a moment, then said goodbye.

"We'll find Kaoru, Kenshin, I promise," Sota said. Kenshin nodded.

"If anyone can find her, I know you can."

Sota nodded and followed the others to the gummi ship. If they were going to start winning, they needed to get help. And he had just the idea.

* * *

**Nightshroud:** Jax's summon charm was awesome, no? The design was inspired by the dark earth affinity beasts from the video game Gladius. Hehe where do you think the gang's headed next? All I can say is we're going to see some familiar faces, and a few new ones too. I think you'll like this next one (especially Mr Fipp 8D)

Next chapter: yeah I'll work on that


	25. Old Places, New Faces

********

Chapter XXV: Old Places, New Faces

* * *

**Nightshroud:** A fast update I think. 8D Some heavy drama in this one too. All you dramatic people will be lapping it up haha. Well this was certainly a fun chapter to write. Hope you enjoy!

* * *

"Where are we going?" Mina asked as she sat down next to Sota, who was in the pilot's seat.

"A little diversion. I think we need more training if we're going to take on the Tainted."

"Won't that let them just waltz in and take the princesses unopposed?" Jax countered, leaning his elbows on the back of Sota's chair. Sota looked up, annoyed.

"Well we're not doing much good in any case," Sota said. He activated the warp gummi, then turned on the transmission.

"Radiant Garden? This is Sota. Valon, Yuffie? You guys there?"

"Hey!" a voice yelled, almost knocking them out of their chairs.

"Yuffie, great to hear from you," Sota mumbled, sitting back up.

"At least one of us still can," Jax mumbled, rubbing his ears.

"So what's up?" she asked.

"Well, I was wondering if we could stop by. Maybe you and Valon could give us some training or something."

"A boy after me own heart!" Valon said through the speaker.

"Sure, we'll give you a hand. Besides, you have to meet the rest of the crew," Yuffie said.

"The rest?" Mina said doubtfully. "If they're anything like these two we're in for a real treat."

"We're on our way," Sota said, shooting a glare at the other two.

"I'm so hungry," Jax said, looking through the cabinets in the kitchen. He was tossing boxes (some partially full Mina noticed with distain) out of the cabinets with reckless abandon.

"All we have to eat is this dry packaged crap," he moaned. "I'm a big guy. I need real food!"

"You're just going to have to deal with it," Mina said with a sigh.

"I'm just going to have to cook up a real meal," he insisted. He looked around for cooking supplies.

"You know, I was voted best cook at my school," Sota offered. Jax rolled his eyes.

"You want a medal?" he said. Then stepped forward and puffed out his chest, knocking Sota back a step. "Or a chest to pin it on?"

Sota crossed his arms and smirked.

"We'll let the cooking do the talking."

Mina laughed to herself.

"This I've got to see."

* * *

"It would seem that the keywielder and his companions have traveled back to the realm of light and are heading toward Radiant Garden," Vesper reported.

"I see," Diana said. She looked at a figure next to her. He smiled.

"Go to Radiant Garden and unleash havoc. That should keep them distracted long enough to finish collecting the princesses. We're very close now."

Vesper felt his throat tighten. He hadn't anticipated Diana playing him this early in the game.

"Very well. You're dismissed," Diana said. Vesper walked out of the throne room and saw Karashi staring out one of the windows, brooding.

"What's up?" Vesper said, walking over. Karashi tightened his hands into fists.

"Marsilio returned with another princess. And with how much he hates me, he'll use this as an opportunity to try to turn Queen Diana against me."

"So top him."

Karashi looked at Vesper, who stood nonchalantly inspecting his fingernails, like he was insane.

"Oh yeah. And how do you suggest I do that?"

"Kill the keyblade master, of course. If you do that, you'll prove how valuable you are."

Either Vesper had noteworthy powers of persuasion, of Karashi was desperate enough that it sounded like good advice to him.

"Yeah, that just might do it. Thanks, Vesper."

Karashi ran out of sight. Vesper leaned against the wall and chuckled to himself.

"Another piece out of the way."

* * *

Jax and Sota each took one side of the stove, all their supplies ready.

"Ready. Set. Go!" Mina said. They grabbed their things and began to work. Both were preparing steaks. Jax looked over at Sota after a while, who seemed to be confidently adding spices and sauces. Jax looked at his, which was basically a boring slab of meat. So if he couldn't win with skill...

Sota suddenly left the stove and moved to one of the other cabinets.

...then there's always sabotage. Jax pulled out a bottle of vinegar and poured it into Sota's pan. When Sota returned, his steak suddenly ignited.

"Oh shoot!"

Sota ran to the sink, filled a bucket of water, and doused out the flames. When the steam cleared, Sota's steak was a burnt patch on his pan. Sota turned and glared at Jax.

"You did this."

Jax took his steak, now finished, and pushed it in from of Jax.

"I'd say I win," he said with a grin. Mina watched as a vein suddenly bulged on Sota's forehead.

"Why do you always have to be like this?!" Sota exploded. Jax looked visibly surprised.

"Huh? What's eating you?"

"You're always such a jerk! Always trying to make me look bad, and always trying to be the center of attention. For once can you act like a normal person? You're just a creep!"

Jax's face took on an unfamiliar form, his mouth turned downward in a fierce frown and his eyebrows accentuating his apparent change in mood.

"You want to know, huh? I'm like this because I never had a dad, and my mom died when i was only seven. I'm like this because I never had anyone pay attention to me and had to fend for myself most of my life. That's why I'm here, because I have nothing to go back to, nothing to lose. Mina's here because she lost her family and her home. What about you, Sota? Get tired of your perfect little island life? You're nothing but a spoiled brat! So why don't you try to fix your own problems first before you butt into mine."

With that Jax stormed from the room. Mina was somewhat frozen in place. She'd never seen Jax get made like that. She looked over at Sota, who was rooted to the spot, staring off into space.

"Sota..." she began.

"Is that what you think too?" he asked quietly. He looked at her with such sincerety and imploring that for a moment she felt her heart in her throat.

"I don't really know anything about your life before this, but I do know that you're constantly putting your life on the line for others. I think that takes a great person."

Sota smiled slightly and turned to leave.

"I know you don't like me much, but that meant a lot," he said. He started to walk out, but Mina grabbed his arm.

"I don't dislike you," she said softly. "You have to understand that Jax and I are a little rough around the edges from our _experiences_. I know I've been trying to warm up to people, but it's going to take some time. So...I hope you don't judge me too harshly either."

She looked at him and their eyes connected. She found herself blushing and shifted her gaze away slightly.

"Thanks, Mina," he said with a smile. He turned and walked away from the kitchen, leaving Mina to wonder what had just happened.

* * *

The next morning the gummi ship landed in the bailey of Radiant Garden.

"Hey you guys!" Yuffie said, greating them.

"Where's Valon?" Mina asked.

"He's at the castle with the others. Follow me!"

Sota, Jax, and Mina followed after Yuffie, who excitedly ran toward the castle. After passing through Ansem's study, they reached the computer room where the rest of the group was.

"Introducing the Radiant Garden Maintenance Committee!" Yuffie announced with a wave of her hand. Sota, Jax, and Mina looked around. Except for Valon picking his teeth at the computer, no one was there.

"Oh for crying out loud!" Yuffie yelled. "Valon, where are they?"

"They went for ice cream," he said lazily. "What's up by the way," he said with a wave. They suddenly heard voices coming up the tunnel behind them. A girl around the gangs age, a robot, and a man walked into view.

"Guess I told them, didn't I?" the man said, slightly drunk. The girl sweadropped while the droid steadied him.

"Absolutely. They were riveted. I'm sure they can't wait till the next thrilling installment of your life story. In the meantime, if you're going to continue such behavior, I suggest having a few healthy liver cells removed - if indeed you have any left - and cryogenically stored since you may need that particular organ cloned in the near future."

"Enough with the lecture. Just make it go away," the man said grumpily.

"Of course. I live to serve," it said sarcastically. The droid let loose a low, trilling tone from its vocal box that seemed to resonate in the room. The man shook his head, apparently getting over his drunkness.

"Are we all better now?" the droid said with mock politeness.

"Let's just say I might hold off on that reprogramming. At least for today," the man added.

"Your gratitude overwhelms me," the droid replied dryly.

"Are you two quite through?" Yuffie said impatiently. Both remained quiet, so Yuffie assumed it was safe to continue.

"I'd like to introduce you all to the rest of the Radiant Garden Maintenance Committee. This is Aylia, but we just call her Sandy."

The girl was Sota's age, with straight sandy blond hair in two ponytails that came to her midback and light green eyes. She wore a brown corset and a green skirt with brown gloves, tan boots, and a tan jacket.

"Hi," she said with a cute wave.

"This is Chaser."

He was a tall and muscular man with silverish blue hair and a cigarrete in his mouth. He wore a white jacket and grey gloves, but no shirt underneath. He hand dark blue pants and grey boots. He grunted in acknowledgement.

"And this is RA-129, but we just call him Rex."

"RA?" Sota asked.

"Really Anal," Jax laughed.

"Real Asshole," Chaser corrected. Everyone else sighed.

"And you are?" Rex inquired.

"The one and only Jax," he said with a dashing smile. The robot seemed unamused.

"Yes, it's a shame there aren't more of you," he said sarcastically.

"And these are Sota and Mina," Yuffie finished.

"Charmed," Rex said. "Now if you don't mind, I think I'll shut off my olfactory sensors before they overload."

The smell of cigarettes and alcohol must be getting to him. After a few moments, Chaser finally caught on.

"You're a real bastard, you know that?" he said.

"According to my data, a bastard is a child born out of wedlock. However, a secondary usage is something of irregular or unusual origin. In that respect, I suppose I qualify."

Meanwhile Jax had sidled up to Sandy.

"Are you a thief? Because you stole my heart," he said with a grin. She gave a very fake smile back.

"No, but somewhere along the way someone stole your sense of humor."

With that she walked away, leaving him staring. Sota and Mina looked at each other and sweatdropped. This was going to be a lot of fun.

* * *

**Nightshroud:** Yes, that is Chaser from One Piece. I wanted to have a tough, no-nonsense guy to balance out goofy Valon and Yuffie and the sarcastic Rex and Sandy. Oh and I did my homework. Steak can be cooked in a pan and acetic acid (vinegar) is flammable. The question is how Jax knew...maybe he's smarter than we all think. oO Well there will definitely be action next chapter, so get excited. Anyway, reviews are greatly appreciated. 8D

Next chapter: **The Other Keyblade**


	26. The Other Keyblade

**Chapter X****XV: The Other Keyblade**

* * *

**Nightshroud:** My siblings were once again hogging the computer all day and night. It's a miracle I managed to squeeze this one in as soon as I did. I will say now that there are going to be two parts to the story. So if you don't see a world you were looking for the first time through, it will probably be in the second part. I based Sandy's sword style on Asoka's lightsaber style from the Star Wars Clone Wars movie. I watched it on my computer and was surprisingly pleased. If you like Star Wars, I would check it out. Okay, enough advertising. On we go!

* * *

"Where are we going?" Sota asked. Chaser blew out a long puff of smoke from his cigar.

"To the Ravine Trail. I'm going to transform you from a limp noodle to a fighting machine."

Sota sweatdropped.

"Thanks."

"I am not a limp noodle," he protested to himself as he heard Jax snicker from behind him.

"So if Sota and Jax are training with Chaser and Valon, what am I supposed to do?" Mina asked.

"You'll be training with me and Sandy," Yuffie said cheerfully.

"You're not training with us, Rex?" Mina asked the silent droid.

"Oh no. I'd be far too timid around such excellent fighters such as yourselves."

Sandy rolled her eyes.

"Don't let him fool you. He's even stronger than Chaser," she said.

"So what can you do?" Jax asked, sliding up next to her.

"I'll have you know I'm a powerful magician and swordfighter," Sandy said. Jax grinned.

"I think you might just be woman enough for me," he said. Sandy gave a fake smile.

"Sorry, I don't date outside my species."

She walked ahead, leaving Jax gaping.

"Damn."

"Is she too much for you?" Mina asked with a laugh.

"Please, she's just playing the hard to get card," he said, brushing it off.

"And which card do you play?" she asked with a coy smile.

"The whole deck, baby," he said, winking to her.

"This far enough," Chaser said, stopping. He pulled his sword and Valon got into his battle stance, ready to fight only using his fists. Sota and Jax took that as a cue and readied their own weapons.

Valon ran forward and threw a punch at Sota. Sota brought his keyblade and blocked it, but Valon vaulted over him and kicked him in the back, knocking him to the ground.

"Better watch me."

Jax turned his head from Sota's fight to see Chaser slash at him. Jax countered with a slash of his own, and the two were locked in combat. Chaser suddenly turned his arm into smoke and shot it through Jax's sword, punching him back.

"You guys need more work than we thought," Valon said with a laugh. Valon ran forward in a burst of speed and punched again at Sota. Sota swung out at Valon but Valon disappeared. Sota looked up as Valon spun in the air and caught his foot on the back of Sota's head, smashing him down into the ground.

"Hey, Sota, I could use back-up!" Jax growled, with Chaser and Valon now circling him. Valon ran forward first and punched Jax in the shoulder, throwing him off balance. As Valon dived ot the side, Chaser took the opening and rammed Jax with his shoulder. Jax fell back next to Sota. Chaser and Valon stood next to each other and looked down at them. Chaser blew out a puff of smoke from his mouth.

"Team work, you two! If you worked together you could have countered Valon's speed and my strength."

Sota and Jax looked at each other, both feeling that they weren't on the best of terms. Sota offered his hand to Jax, who took it.

"Let's do it," they said. Chaser came at Jax and slashed, but Jax blocked with his sword. Suddenly Sota came from behind Jax and swiped at Chaser's feet. Chaser stumbled forward, but Jax had his fist there to meet him.

"Air Hammer!"

Chaser was nailed in the stomach with multiple punches before being knocked back. Valon ran at Sota and punched at him, but Jax grabbed his fist. Valon was surpised, but even more surprised when he looked down to see Sota kneeling down in front of him with his keyblade to his stomach.

"Fira!"

Valon was blown back by the fire spell and smacked into the ravine wall.

"Now that's more like it," Jax said, pounding fists with Sota.

Meanwhile Mina was facing Yuffie and Sandy. Yuffie ran around Mina and jumped onto the ravine wall, using her speed to keep from falling. She threw a shuriken at Mina, who summoned her kunai and threw on at the shuriken, both falling to the floor with a clatter. Sandy, whose weapon was a kudachi wielded backhand, slashed at Mina. Mina used her right kunai to block and hook Sandy's blade (remember Mina's kunai have three points). With her left kunai she slashed at Sandy. Sandy let go of her kudachi and jumped back while casting a spell.

"Blizzara!"

Mina put her arms up to defend herself as she was hit by multiple ice crystals. Yuffie threw several shuriken at Mina, but she rolled to the side as the shuriken embedded in the ground.

"Thundara!"

Yuffie jumped off the ravine wall as a bolt of thunder crashed into it.

"Not bad," Sandy said. Mina smiled.

"That was only round one."

* * *

After going for a few hours, something suddenly beeped on Rex. He seemed to be relaying information from somewhere. After a few moments he finally spoke.

"I think we have a situation that requires immediate attention."

"What is it?" Sandy asked.

"My sensors have picked up traces of Heartless entering this world."

"That's impossible!" Yuffie cut in. "The keyhole was sealed by Reyna a while ago!"

"All I know," the droid continued, "is that I have a readout that someone accessed the keyhole three point five minutes ago."

"But Phalanx (the defense system if you remember) should still keep them from getting into the city," Chaser said, crossing his arms. The droid shook his head.

"I'm afraid not. I've detected a bug in the system, which caused it to shut down."

"Damn it!" Chaser said, punching his open palm.

"Well, some of us will have to go into town and defend it from the Heartless while the rest go to the castle and do what we can there," Sota said. The others agreed.

"Right, let's go-"

Sota went to run forward when a shuriken landed right in front of him. They looked up and saw Karashi standing on the cliff, his mask removed and his hazel eyes gleaming with mischief.

"The keyblade master isn't going anywhere. We have a score to settle."

Sota looked back at the members of the Maintenance Committee.

"You guys better go on without us. We'll catch up as soon as we can."

The others nodded and ran toward the bailey. Sota, Jax, and Mina pulled out their weapons and prepared for battle.

"How do we split from here?" Valon asked.

"Valon and Yuffie, head into town and keep the Heartless busy. Sandy, Rex, and I will head back to the castle to try to get Phalanx back up and running."

"I think you'd better stay to help Valon and Yuffie," Sandy objected with a smile. "Rex and I can manage all right. It's more important to make sure that the townspeople are all right."

"Heh, confident brat," Chaser said with a faint smile. She smiled before turning and grabbing Rex's arm.

"C'mon, let's go."

Valon, Yuffie, and Chaser didn't stay to watch them go. They hurried into town to see Heartless popping up everywhere and people trying to run for cover or boarding up their houses. Yuffie spied a young boy running from a Soldier and quickly dispatched it with a well-aimed shuriken to the head.

"Yuffie!" Valon called. Yuffie dived to the ground as a Defender threw its shield at her. Valon vaulted over the shield and kicked through its head, causing it to fade away. Chaser held his arms out and transformed them into smoky columns as he shot them at a Neoshadow attacking a middle-aged woman. He lifted the Heartless and crushed it between his smoky hands. He smirked, then suddenly felt something behind him. He pulled out his sword as a Morning Star rolled into him. He braced his sword against it and gave himself as much leverage as he could to stop its roll. The Morning Star had almost pressed him against a wall when he kicked off the wall and jumped over the Morning Star, slicing down the length of it as he descended. He dusted his gloves off in satisfaction. He suddenly heard Valon yell as he (Valon) ran toward a Wizard. He threw a punch just as the Wizard teleported causing him to land the punch full in Chaser's face, knocking him to the ground. Chaser slowly stood, his face very red now, from both the punch and the anger building up. Valon nervously rubbed the back of his neck.

"Hehe, I guess I don't know me own strength."

Yuffie sliced her shuriken through and Armored Knight when she heard Valon yell. She thought he might be in trouble till she saw him running full-speed away from an enraged Chaser, the two plowing through the Heartless.

"Oh geez," she said, slapping her hand to her face.

* * *

"Oh, it's just you," Jax said with a laugh. "I was afraid it might actually be someone important."

Karashi grew red in the face and stomped his foot.

"I'll show you! I'm going to take the keyblade master down and finally get some respect!"

"That's what this is about?" Mina asked. "Come on, you don't know what you're up against."

"Enough talk!" Karashi shouted. He summoned smaller shuriken in between his fingers and threw them at the three. Jax jumped in front and blocked them with his sword. As they fell to the ground, Mina saw a slip of paper attached to each of them. Her eyes widened.

"They have paper bombs!"

Karashi smirked, then activated them. The explosion threw them all back and to the ground. Karashi pulled his windmill shuriken off the strap on his back and jumped down from the cliff. He jumped into the air and slashed at Sota with it, but Sota quickly brought up his keyblade and blocked it, then planted his feet in Karashi's stomach and threw him over his head. Karashi hit the ground with a muffled "oomph." Mina threw a handful of kunai at him, but he swiped them away with his shuriken. Jax ran at Karashi, but Karashi pushed off the ground and kicked Jax in the chest with both feet. As Jax fell back, he swung his sword and unleashed a wind shockwave at Karashi. Karashi brought up his shuriken to defend himself, but the shockwave blasted him back. Sota ran forward and jumped at Karashi, bringing his keyblade down on him.

"Protera!"

A shield appeared in between Karashi and Sota, protecting Karashi. Karashi pulled out two shuriken and threw them at Sota.

"Sota!" Mina screamed. The two shuriken hit Sota in the chest, dropping him to the ground. Mina and Jax stood with their mouths wide.

"Sota!"

Mina ran over to help him. Jax grinded his teeth and ran after Karashi. Karashi summoned shuriken to his hands and threw them at Mina, but Jax slid in front of her and blocked them with his sword.

"Earth Glaive!"

Large rock spikes shot up out of the ground toward Karashi. Karashi jumped out of the way and threw a shuriken at Jax, who knocked it away. Karashi smirked and threw another, deflecting it in midair off the other one, slicing Jax on his right arm. Jax dropped his sword out of surprise.

"Shadow Shuriken Windmill!"

A whirlwind formed around him, and he let go of his shuriken, which began to orbit in the middle of it.

"Shadow Shuriken Windmill!"

The whirlwind began moving toward them.

* * *

Meanwhile Sandy and Rex were fighting their way toward the castle. Sandy was using her kudachi and Rex, with his hands out like a child pretending to have guns, was firing laser bullets from his fingertips. Sandy slashed through a Neoshadow, then aimed her hand at an Armored Soldier.

"Blizzara!"

The Armored Knight was speared through the chest by several ice crystals before disappearing into darkness.

"You know," Sandy said to Rex as she sliced her kudachi through the back of a Neoshadow's neck "I'd be more afraid of these things if they weren't as stupid as that monkey Jax."

"I have no argument to that," the droid said, one of its laser bullets shearing through a Wizard's head. Sandy ran in front of the droid and swept her kudachi in front of her, a blue shockwave following it.

"Cold Wave!"

As the shockwave passed through the Heartless, they froze completely.

"Extinction!"

The Heartless exploded into crystalline fragments of ice before fading away.

"Pretty good, huh?" she asked, turning to Rex.

"I would love to spend time lavishing your efforts with praise, but we are on a bit of a time squeeze."

"Right," she said, sweatdropping.

They ran past the postern and to the entrance when a group of Armored Soldiers appeared in front of the door.

"Stand back," the droid ordered.

"Are you using-"

"Yes, the Flash Grenade."

Sandy stepped back as the droid's right pointer finger bent upward and a small white sphere shot out, landing in the middle of the Heartless with a metallic clunk. The Heartless looked down as Sandy shut her eyes and the droid shut off his photoreceptors. Even through her eyelids Sandy could see the brilliant flash of light as it stung her eyes.

"It's safe to open your eyes now," she heard Rex say. She opened her eyes and saw no trace of the Heartless, apparently eradicated by the intense burst of light.

"If was rather fortuitous of you to install that weapon on me," he said as they walked into the castle corridors.

"I thought this wasn't the time for complements?" she asked slyly.

"Well, this is a special occasion," he replied.

"You're the best," she said with a smile, following after him.

"Don't. You're embarrassing me."

* * *

Karashi smirked, now that Jax didn't have his sword, he couldn't use Earth Glaive to stop the whirlwind like last time.

"Aerora!"

Jax used a good amount of magic, cloaking Sota, Mina, and himself in a shield of wind. The whirlwind slammed against the wind shield, creating a terrible impact. Jax saw the shuriken in the middle on a direct path toward his neck.

"Duck!"

Sota grabbed him and pulled him down. With a groan on pain, he lifted his keyblade and aimed it at Karashi.

"Firaga!"

Jax and Mina watched in amazement as Sota unleashed the highest level of fire spell. The fireball blew through the whirlwind and exploded into Karashi, throwing him senseless to the ground a good distance away.

* * *

"Where is Karashi?" Diana demanded as they assembled in the throne room. No one else seemed to have any idea.

"Queen Diana, I did see him leaving the castle through a portal," Vesper said. Diana pondered him for a moment.

"And where was he going?" she demanded.

"Well-" Vesper hesitated, putting on that he didn't want to get Karashi in trouble.

"I asked you a question!" she thundered. Vesper lowered his head.

"He was going after the keyblade master," Vesper admitted.

"Is that so?" she said quietly, in a voice that put anyone on alert. Everyone grew fidgety.

"Your bounty hunter is pursuing the keyblade master at the moment, is he not?"

"Yes," Vesper admitted. Diana turned to leave.

"Then see to it that he eliminates our renegade member."

With that she left the room. Marsilio looked suspiciously at Vesper, then left the room.

"I suppose that's one less person to share power with," Rolan said with a malicious laugh. As he left, Vesper smirked.

"My thoughts exactly."

One person did notice that smirk.

Iselia.

* * *

Karashi panted as Sota, Jax, and Mina surrounded him.

"Now tell us what's going on," Sota demanded, clutching his chest. Karashi sulked on the ground.

"I will go Jack the Ripper on your ass," Jax said with a scowl.

"All right, all right, I'll tell you anything. They'll be coming after me now that I failed."

"Who will? The Tainted?" Mina asked.

"Let's get him back to the castle. I'd feel safer talking there," Sota said.

"I can't let you do that."

They turned to see Raven standing there, his face shrouded under the brim of his hat.

"Oh what now?" Jax said in exasperation.

"It's him! The bounty hunter!" Karashi said, his face turning white.

"Bounty hunter?" Sota asked.

"That's right, and I'm here to collect yours."

* * *

"Rex, how exactly do you think the keyhole got unlocked?" Sandy asked as they ran through the lower corridors of the castle. The droid was silent for a moment.

"The only way a keyhole can be unlocked, I suppose."

"But Sota didn't do it so…."

"Yes, there must be another keyblade."

* * *

**Nightshroud:** Oh and Sota really isn't a limp noodle, but compared to Chaser and even Jax he looks smaller, but he really is fit. Anyway, reviews are greatly appreciated. 8D I finally got my laptop!! Yeah!! And my printer/scanner too! So tomorrow I'm going to scan up the pictures I already have done. Make sure you look for those!

Next chapter: **Shadows of Intrigue: A Knife in the Dark**


	27. Velocity

**Chapter X****XVII: Velocity**

* * *

**Nightshroud:** Sorry if I haven't updated quickly, but I've been on maximum stress level since I came to college this last Friday. I don't know if anyone reading this likes college, but I sure as hell hate it. I'm really down, missing my family and all. Anyway, I did put up some of my pics on Fanart Central, but the site told me the image file was too large, and I don't know what to do. If anyone knows how this works, let me know. I hope it doesn't seem like I'm brushing this off or making excuses, because I really want you guys to see them, and I feel bad that I've made you wait. So if anyone can provide the assistance to help me get those up ASAP, I'd really appreciate it. Okay, there's this one girl in my English class whose name is Mina. Weird huh? I mean, talk about a coincidence! Also, whever I make mention of Raven (the bounty hunter) "vanishing," he is not teleporting. I thought I'd clarify this because some characters can teleport. He's merely moving at such high speed that it seems like he appears and disappears.

* * *

Raven smiled as he pulled out his sword slowly, letting the metallic sound of the weapon being drawn fill the air with an intimidating ring.

"Now then," he said, pointing his sword at Sota as a smirk drew across his face. Sota suddenly got a flash of the bounty hunter slashing at him. Raven suddenly sprinted forward and in a blink was in front of Sota. Raven slashed downward with his sword, but Sota was able to block it only because he saw it a moment before. The next moment, though, Raven kicked Sota in the stomach and knocked him to the ground. Sota cried out as he hit the ground and clutched his stomach where Karashi's shuriken had hit him. Raven laughed, then shifted his gaze to Karashi. His eyes narrowed and he said coldly.

"Now to get rid of the traitor."

Karashi gasped and scooted back on the ground, hiding behind Jax and Mina. Jax and Mina stepped forward to cover him.

"Why are we helping him?" Jax asked. Mina glanced at him.

"We need him for information about the enemy's plans, and he just happens to know all about them."

Jax sighed.

"Yeah."

Raven looked at them with disinterest.

"I have no business with you. Go, unless you want to die."

"Heh, let's see you try!" Jax said. He grabbed his buster blade and swung it, sending off a wind shockwave. Raven moved so fast that it looked like he teleported to the side. In the blink of an eye he lifted his sword and hurled it and Jax.

"Haste!"

Mina jumped in front of Jax and knocked the sword to the side with her kunai. As she landed in front of Jax, she spoke to him without taking her eyes off the bounty hunter.

"Out of the three of us, I'm the only one who can keep up with his speed. Just back me up when you can."

She cast another haste spell, this time on Jax.

"All right, follow my lead."

Mina jumped in the air and threw her kunai at the bounty hunter. Raven quickly pulled his sword out, and with a flick of the wrist, knocked the kunai away. But Min ahad prepared for that. The two kunai suddenly sent off bursts of lightning that connected in a single chain toward Raven.

"Chain Lightning."

Raven suddenly sheathed his sword and held his arms, two fingers extended. The lightning channeled around his fingers, and he redirected it at Mina.

_"No way!"_

Mina threw herself out of the way, crashing painfully into the ground.

"Earth Glaive!" Jax called, using the moment to attack Raven while his attention. He slammed his sword into the ground, causing giant rock spikes to errupt from the ground. Raven, however, was able to quickly evade the attack. He was surprised to see Jax appear in front of him.

"Air Hammer!"

Jax punched at Raven, but Raven vanished from in front of him. Jax sudddenly felt Raven behind him, and just as quickly felt a splitting pain through his neck as Raven smacked the butt of his sword against it. Jax went dropping to the ground as Raven landed behind him.

"Hehe. Useless," he chided. Suddenly his attention was diverted from Jax as feathers began to fall around him.

"Wha-"

"Jax, move!" Mina yelled. Jax forced himself up and jumped back next to her.

"Lightning Feather!"

Electric currents shot through all the feathers, creating a deadly field of electricity.

"That ought to take care of him," Mina said with a smile. As the electricity shot at Raven, he held up his hands, which seemed to draw the electricity around them, then held them out, pointed at Mina and Jax.

"Thunder Cannon!"

A giant blast of lightning shot at both of them. Jax quickly summoned wind energy to his buster sword and unleashed a strong wind shockwave. The two collided, creating a brilliant explosion that knocked Jax and Mina off their feet.

Raven rushed at Jax, who swung his sword out, cutting Raven's side.

"They seem to be picking up on my speed," he thought with a frown. He grabbed his hand into the pouch on his side and pulled something out. He stabbed his sword into the ground, creating a hole, and threw whatever was in his hand into the ground. Mina was suspicious right away.

"What's he up to?" Jax asked mumbled, right as she was thinking it.

"I don't know," she replied. She charged some electricity to her hand and let it shoot into the ground. The electricity was immediately attracted to something metallic in the ground. Something moving.

"Flying Arrow Nail!"

"Jax, move!"

Both dived to the side as nails shot out of the ground where thet were standing. The nails homed in on them, but Mina quickly parried all of them with her kunai while Jax just cast a Protect spell, which the nails collided into. Raven moved quickly and went for Mina. He scissor-kicked her, knocking her into the air. He smirked, when suddenly he saw something move toward him. He heard something crack as Jax's fist connected with the side of his face, knocking him back. Raven felt his jaw, which caused him to wince.

"Something to remember me by," Jax said with a humorless laugh. Raven smirked as his eyes narrowed.

"Flash Step!"

In an instant he was in front of Jax. Before Jax could respond, he brought his sword up in a flash and sliced down Jax's chest between his neck and shoulder. Jax dropped to the ground as he clutched the wound, which Raven took the opportunity to use to kick him in the jaw, knocking him to the ground. He turned to see Mina getting back up, and...the keyblade wielder! He was sitting up, looking pale and pained, but still up. Mina put her hand out as Sota tried to stand.

"Don't push yourself," she said. Sota opened his mouth to protest, but Mina ran forward and unleashed a fast-paced offense.

"Instant Light!"

She threw her kunai at him, but he tilted his head to the side, causing it to fly by. In a split second, she teleported to where the kunai was in midair. Raven quickly sense it and moved as the kunai grazed his cheek. He jumped back and glared at the kunoichi (i.e. female ninja), while Sota watched carefully. Maybe he couldn't help fight, but that didn't mean he couldn't help in other ways.

* * *

Meanwhile Sandy and Rex had made it to Ansem's Lab.

"All right," Sandy said, jumping into the chair in front of the computer. She placed a pair of thin glasses on and started typing away quickly.

"Rex, I need you to find exactly where that bug is."

"Of course. Running tracer..." the droid said, plugging into the computer.

Sandy turned back to the computer and started quickly typing away.

_"So someone else has a keyblade. And this one doesn't just unlock, it can unseal keyholes. That's one powerful keyblade. Huh?"_

Something suddenly drew her out of her thoughts. Fortunately this computer recorded all unauthorized activities run through it. It just so happened that the computer had a warning for an unauthorized data input.

"So it's not a bug..."

"Rex, we're dealing with a virus here, not a bug. I need you to isolate the virus while I run FLOOD (it's their antivirus system, like how the Flood in the Bible purged the earth. Get it?)."

"Isolating..."

Sandy sighed as booted FLOOD. Whoever had done this must have crashed Phalanx, then gone up and unsealed the keyhole. Pretty impressive to do in such short time.

"But why? We haven't had any problems with the Heartless here since that girl Reyna sealed the keyhole, and so far every attack of this Tainted group has been in that other dimension Merlin found. Why would they target us now?"

* * *

Mina stood still for a few moments, catching her breath next to Sota, who seemed to be talking to her, probably just encouragement. At least, that's how it appeared.

"Have you had enough?" Raven asked with a mocking laugh.

"I'm just waiting for you," she said, smiling confidently. His face drew serious again.

"Then here I come."

Raven moved to his left quickly, almost invisibly. Mina threw her kunai to the right, at empty space.

"What is she doing?" Jax wondered, grasping his wound.

Raven, still moving so fast he seemed a blur, stopped his sideway movement to go forward when he suddenly felt a pain shoot through his left shoulder. He stopped and looked down to see a kunai lodged in his left shoulder. He stood still, the pain barely registering through his shock.

_"She calculated my speed and predicted where I would end up!" he thought, dazed._

"Nice going," Mina said to Sota, who grinned weakly.

"I payed attention in class," he laughed.

_"No, it was him..."_ Raven said to himself, narrowing his eyes at Sota. He certaintly was an interesting kid. He'd have to be for Vesper to take the risk of going against Diana's orders.

"Magnega!"

Sota suddenly found himself completely rooted to the spot.

"Sota!" Mina said as Raven sprinted toward him. She jumped in front of Raven and slashed with her kunai, but he ducked and knocked her out of the way. He ran at Sota and slashed, but Sota put up his keyblade to block. Raven made a fancy flick of his wrist, and Sota suddenly found his body exposed. Raven rammed his elbow right into Sota's wound. Sota's eyes bulged in pain as he spit up blood. The magnet spell wore off, and Sota collapsed to the ground.

"Sota!" Mina yelled. Raven's eyes shot over to her.

_"One left."_

* * *

"Virus isolated," Rex announced. Sandy sighed with relief.

"Good. Send me its location."

Rex relayed the information over to the main computer where Sandy was sitting. Sandy found the virus nestled in the Phalanx program.

"Now comes the easy part."

She activated FLOOD. A bar appeared on the screen to show FLOOD's progress.

"We did it!" she said, twirling the chair. Then suddenly something caught her attention.

"Unauthorized extraction of data?"

She entered the data files and found out something unusual. She typed away at the keyboard until something made her stop.

"What is the problem?" Rex asked.

"Someone...took all information on this computer concerning the 'Door to Darkness.'"

"So this Tainted group must be after Kingdom Hearts," Rex stated.

"But, don't you think they'd already know about Kingdom Hearts enough if they were going around kidnapping the princesses?"

"Well, Ansem the Wise's data was extremely vast. Perhaps there is something in there that even we did not know of."

Sandy didn't reply but stared at the screen. Whoever these people were, they were moving toward something big, and fast.

"The virus has been terminated," Rex announced. Sandy jumped from her thoughts and went back computer.

"Initiating Phalanx Defense System," she said. The computer suddenly lit up, and a shield icon appeared on the screen.

"Phalanx is back up," Rex said.

"Nice work," Sandy said to the droid.

"As much as I crave appreciation, we should probably check on the others," he said, right to the point.

"R-right," she said, sweadropping.

* * *

Valon charged his fist up, crackling with red energy.

"Burning Magnum!" he yelled, throwing multiple fast-speed punches at the Morning Star. Its armor suddenly exploded in multiple spots, sending it fading into darkness. An Armored Knight came up behind him and prepared to slash at him, but Valon kicked backward, smashing off its head.

Yuffie jumped in the air as Armored Knights circled around her. Her shuriken began to orbit around her, slicing through all the Armored Knights. She suddenly caught site of a Shadow creeping up on Valon. Valon turned as Yuffie's shuriken pinned it to the ground.

"You can thank me later," she said smugly, turning away from him. He grinned and kissed her neck from behind.

"How so?" he said huskily in her ear. She blushed and pushed him away.

"I think Jax is starting to rub off on you," she said with a snort. She waited a moment, then ran off.

"We'll talk about it later!" she called back. Valon grinned.

Meanwhile Chaser slashed his sword through a Defender's shield. The Defender paused for a moment, unsure of what to do. Chaser changed his left fist into smoke, then punched forward, slamming the Defender into a wall. He quickly threw his sword, stabbing through a Soldier. A group of Armored Knights approached him, but he turned his arms into columns of smoke and wrapped them around the Armored Knights.

"Good night," he said with a small smirk. The Armored Knights were crushed under the force. He sighed and retrieved his sword as a blue beam of light shot out from various towers around the city and merged over the top of it, before fading into a clear force-field. The Heartless were suddenly destroyed by bursts of light from the ground as the Claymores kicked in. A voice suddenly rang out on Yuffie's communicator.

"Hey, guys!" Sandy said cheerfully.

"Nice going, Sandy," Yuffie said with a thumbs up. Sandy made a peace-sign.

"Pretty nice work, if I do say so myself," she said with a grin.

"I took you long enough," Chaser said, breathing a puff of smoke into Yuffie's face, causing her to cough. "I expect you to brush up on your computer skills."

"Sorry, Seargent Rock," she mumbled. Chaser turned to Valon and Yuffie.

"Make sure the kids are okay and meet back at the castle."

"Right," they both said before running back to the castle gates.

* * *

"Now then."

Mina looked up, her body paralyzed with shock as Raven stood in front of her. Raven smirked as his sword rushed at her, when suddenly something shot at him. It was like a pillar of darkness with a clawed hand on the end. It grabbed him and slammed him against the wall, squeezing the life out of him. Raven gasped and looked down the length of the dark arm, as did Jax and Mina.

"What?" the bounty hunter spat out in amazement. Jax and Mina were unable to speak. The darkness was attached to Sota, who was on his one knee, griding his teeth and glaring at the bounty hunter. Raven squirmed as the hand squeezed him more. He channeled lightning through his body and sent it coursing down the length of the "arm." Sota held his left hand out as the lightning reached him, and he shot it out in a condensed blast, detonating the wall to his left.

"Nice try," he smirked, squeezing the bounty hunter more.

"Sota!" Mina suddenly yelled, finding her voice. Sota's eyes widened and he turned to look at her. The dark arm suddenly faded and Raven was dropped to his knees, gasping and coughing. Sota turned from Mina and looked back at the bounty hunter. Raven opened a portal of darkness and forced himself back into it.

"I don't know what you are, but you can be sure that next time I won't lose," he spat at Sota.

The portal closed behind him, and the gang found themselves safe for the moment. Karashi, who saw them distracted, started sneaking away.

"Yaaah!"

Karashi looked up to see Valon dropping through the air toward him. Next thing he knew he was flat on the ground with an aching chest and back and Valon sitting on top of him.

"I guess me bungee jumping lessons paid off," Valon said with a grin. Yuffie rolled her eyes as she dropped next to him.

"You guys okay?" she asked.

"We're not dead," Jax said flatly. She noticed how beat up they looked.

"Come on, we'll get you back to the castle," she said.

* * *

"Nice going with the security system, by the way," Mina said to Sandy.

"I must say I'm slightly spectacular," she said with a grin, before healing Sota, who sat up, feeling much better. Jax laughed.

"Oh yeah. A round of applause for the science and sorcery team." Sandy and Rex didn't seem amused.

"You survived," the droid stated flatly. Jax crossed his arms and glared at the robot.

"I guess now is when we get our answers," Sota said, diverting everyone's attention. Karashi squirmed in his seat as all eyes turned toward him.

"Hey," Yuffie said, walking over and inspecting him very closely, "you're Buster, aren't you?"

"Buster?" the others asked with a sweatdrop, with Jax bursting into laughter afterward. Karashi slumped in his chair as Yuffie nodded.

"Yeah, he used to live here a few years back, then he went missing. Worried his mother sick."

"My name is Karashi!" he protested. "It's a much cooler name..." he muttered. Yuffie shrugged.

"Whatever, brat." Karashi opened his mouth to retort, but Chaser suddenly gripped both arms of Karashi's chair and leaned forward, blowing a puff of smoke in the teen's face.

"Listen, kid, we want to know exactly what's going on with this group of yours. The members, the location of your hideout, and your plans."

Chaser's intimidation tactic obviously worked as Karashi pushed himself back further into his chair and nodded nervously.

"Now get talking," Chaser said, standing back with the others. Karashi sighed and finally started talking, his gaze fixed on the floor.

"Well, it's like this..."

* * *

Raven teleported into the Tainted's castle hideout.

"You lost," someone stated flatly. He looked up and saw Vesper standing with his arms crossed in front of him. Raven clutched his chest and coughed. Vesper sighed and turned to leave.

"He- he suddenly surged with darkness! Out of nowhere. I was unprepared..."

Vesper stopped suddenly, and his mouth slowly drew into a smirk.

"Is that so?" he said, his back concealing his face from the bounty hunter. "Well, don't worry yourself with that."

"But what about your plan?" Raven asked, drawing one knee under himself to support his body.

"It's actually still intact anyway, now that the darkness has been allowed to activate. The only matter now is to tie up some loose ends."

"Loose ends?" Raven asked raspily. Vesper's scythe suddenly appeared in his hand and he teleported. Raven's eyes widened as he sensed Vesper now behind him. The scythe cut a gleaming path through the air...

* * *

**Nightshroud:** I actually planned to have Karashi to let the cat out of the bag this chapter, but it ended up running too long, so I'll put it off for next chapter. I'm really trying to put these out quickly, but with my college work it's not easy. I hope you bear with me and still love the story. Sorry if the chapter seemed rushed, but on the plus size it's much longer than the usual chapters, so consider it my gift to you for being so patient!

Next chapter: **Shadows of Intrigue: A Knife in the Dark**

**Nightshroud:** And now for a little segment I've come up with. Get to know you're favorite characters! First up is Mina!

**Mina:** What's up?

**Nightshroud:** Mina's element is thunder, and her weapons are two tri-pronged kunai. Her spells are Thunder and Haste. Her abilities are Thunder Pulse, Lightning Feather, and her favorite, Instant Light. Mina will of course be getting new moves later.

**Mina:** Really? Tell me!

**Nightshroud:** No. That's what we call in the biz a "spoiler."

**Mina:** Don't make me kick your ass!

**Nightshroud:** oO And that concludes this segment.


	28. Webs of Deceit

**Chapter X****XVIII: Webs of Deceit**

* * *

**Nightshroud:** Sorry for another long update. For the past two weeks I've had exams that I've had to study for, not to mention homework and such. On the good side, I'm getting adjusted to life here, and I'm doing very well in my exams. Yay! But anyway, here's the next chapter. I'll try to get the pictures up today as well.

* * *

"You want to know about the Tainted? Fine. Well, the members are Iselia, Vesper, Marsilio, Rolan-"

"We know about them already," Mina interrupted with a hint of exasperation to her voice.

"If you'd let me finish," he bit back. "Queen Diana, and her 'pet.'"

"Tell us more about them," Sota said, intrigued.

"Well Queen Diana from a world in the universe: MAD Heaven, or Mare Heaven, or something like that. I guess she found about the princesses of heart because her step-daughter is one. Anyway, she found out about it and collected the rest of us for the plan."

"What is your plan exactly?" Sandy asked. Karashi sighed.

"Look, I wasn't that high up the totem pole, if you catch my drift, so I didn't get told much. What I do know is that they were using the princesses of heart to open Kingdom Hearts and gain all the power inside."

"Old news," Yuffie sighed.

"However, they captured someone else that interestingly configures in with this."

"Who?" Sota asked. Karashi crossed his arms.

"Some red-head. They kept calling her the Angel of Heart."

"They have Reyna?!" Yuffie and Valon exclaimed. Sota hung his head miserably.

_"So Vesper wasn't lying..."_

"Don't worry, Sota, we'll find her," Mina said, grabbing his hand. He looked at her and smiled sadly. She realized that everyone was watching them, so she quickly let go of his hand and turned back to Karashi.

"So what about this "pet" of hers. Who is it?"

Karashi sighed. "I'm not even sure. He's always in the shadows, never mingling with the rest of us. I do know that he has one of those keyblades."

"Then he's the one!" Sandy gasped. The others looked for an explanation.

"The keyhole was obviously opened to allow the Heartless to invade when this miscreant attacked. Therefore they must have sent this dark keyblader here to unlock the keyhole and unleash the Heartless as a means to both get rid of their traitor and the keyblade master," Rex explained.

"Something doesn't fit though. Then why'd they send the bounty hunter? I thought he was supposed to get rid of Karashi here and Sota," Yuffie asked.

"It was diversion," Valon said, speaking up for the first time. "I was on that side before. I know how they work. The bounty hunter was the clean up crew, but Karashi and the Heartless were just a big distraction."

"But why?" Sota asked.

"Probably because they're almost ready," Karashi said. They all looked at him.

"What?" Sota asked. Karashi nodded.

"They had five of the four of the princesses, and Iselia went to find another right before I left. So by now that count's probably up to five."

"We have to get going," Sota said, turning to Jax and Mina. They nodded and turned to the others.

"Thanks for all your help, guys, but we need to get back out there," Sota said.

"Don't hesitate if you need something," Yuffie said. Sota nodded, and they ran out toward the burrough. Chaser looked at Karashi disdain fully and shoved him out of the chair.

"Get back to your mother, little brat. And I don't want to hear of any more trouble from you. Got it?"

Karashi nodded in fright and ran out.

"And get a haircut!" Yuffie shouted after him, making Valon and Sandy sweatdropped and Red a rather human sigh.

* * *

Vesper peered around the corner, listening to Diana talking with her mysterious favorite. Vesper suddenly heard a dark portal open, and out stepped Iselia.

"Hope I'm not interrupting," she said. Vesper sighed.

"Back so soon?" he replied. She snorted.

"The little brat and her friends put up quite a fight. I've never seen kids that young so adept in magic."

"Sakura Kinomoto, a very unique girl," he agreed. Iselia crossed her arms.

"That's five now. We only have two left, and we get what we've been waiting for," she said, watching him closely. He kept his face neutral.

"That's right," he answered. She narrowed her eyes.

"So you're not going to tell me what's going on?" Vesper had to admit, she was pretty sharp. This was going to complicate things.

"I thought you said we could only trust each other in this group," she said sharply.

"There's nothing-" he started to say, but she interrupted him with a startling remark.

"I want in."

"What?" he asked, genuinely surprised.

"Whatever your scheme is, I want in."

He looked at her for a while, studying the annoyed scowl on her otherwise beautiful face. The he suddenly chuckled quietly.

"Guess I couldn't hide anything from you," Vesper said. Iselia scoffed.

"You were stupid tothink you could. But anyway, what exactly are you up to? Karashi had something to do with this. That had your handwriting all over it."

"It's just that, we are about to open Kingdom Hearts, right?"

"Right."

"Now all the power that's inside will be ours, but that means it's going to have to be split among us. And the more of us there are, the less we get individually."

"I read you," she said, smirking. "So you got the weed out of the way. So who's next? I'd love to get rid of Marsilio. That asshole's had it coming."

Vesper chuckled. "Knocking Marsilio off the charts will be very tricky. But I agree he needs to be next. I'm not too concerned with Rolan. He seems pretty content in his insanity.

"So you have a plan?" she asked.

"Give me time," he said. She nodded and turned to portal out.

"Make sure you let me know," she said. He nodded. When she had left, he turned his gaze back to the throneroom and smirked.

_"Oh I have a plan Iselia. And by now, everyone's already tangled up in it."_

* * *

Sota, Jax, and Mina made it to the burrough where their gummi ship was parked when a chair went sailing past their heads and crashed into the wall. They looked over to the source of the trouble.

"Confound it!" Merlin yelled, causing a commotion. "This useless spell book!"

Jax crossed his arms as his eyebrow twitched. "Watch where you're throwing things, you old fossil!"

Merlin looked up at them and blinked with surprise. "Oh!"

He walked over to Sota and peered at him. "How are you doing, my boy? It's been some time since you left."

"It would seem that your Alzheimer's is inproving," Jax mumbled, causing Mina to sigh. Merlin growled and swung his spell book at him, but Jax had alread ducked, casuing him to swing around.

"Hehe, I'm fine, Merlin," Sota said, steadying the old magician. Merlin huffed as he glared at Jax.

"Well, I'm glad to hear that, my boy," he said, turning back to Jax. He noticed Mina for the first time and blinked with surprise.

"Oh! Aren't you Mina? The mayor's daughter?" Merlin asked. Mina looked away.

"Yeah, that's me," she said quietly. Merlin sighed.

"I'm so sorry about what happened," he said. She turned away.

"Yeah thanks. It was nice meeting you."

"Wait, I have something for you," he said, then turned and ran back into the house. Mina sighed.

"I'm just gonna-"

"Just wait to see what he has," Sota said softy. She looked at him, then nodded and waited. When Merlin finally emerged, Jax rolled his eyes.

"I was beginning to think you expired in the house from all the excitement," he said, smirking. Merlin growled, then turned back to Mina.

"Here you go, my dear," he said, handing her the item he clutched in his hand. She took it and gazed at it. Sota and Jax looked over her shoulder at it too. It was small and made of white gold, with a purple stone in the middle, and around the stone an eye was carved. Sota stole a quick look at his shoulder. Yes, the eye was the same...

"A medallion?" she asked finally.

"It's a shadow charm," Merlin said gravely. "Keep it close to you to keep shadow powers from affecting you. This belonged to your mother, and your father gave it to me to give to you when you were older. I was to teach you magic as I taught him, but that opportunity never came."

He sighed and went on, "I hope you take good care of this. I believe it will serve you well."

Mina took it and gingerly put it around her neck. "Thank you," she said. Merlin nodded.

"I think it's time I improve your magic as well. You'll be needing it."

He waved his wand, and the three felt a strange tingling in their bodies.

"There! Now I wish you all the best of luck!" he said cheerfully, "except you." This was directed toward Jax, who put on a sour face.

"Well we'd better get going. Thanks, Merlin!" Sota said as they turned and left.

"Good luck, my boy!" Merlin said as he waved.

* * *

"We only have two princesses left," Diana said to the two figures before her. "That means they'll be coming to your world next," she said to the tall one.

"They won't be a problem. I already almost have the whole world under my control," Crocodile said, his grin wide. "Maybe if your other followers were as resourceful as me, this task would already be over."

That comment got a glare from the short figure next to him.

"I would be careful what I imply, you large oaf," Zofis hissed. "You only deal with feeble mortals in your world. I deal with more powerful beings, and yet I still manage to dominate over all of them. If Shishio managed to fail, I don't see what the likes of you will be able to do to stop the keyblade master."

"If you knew anything of my power, you'd be singing a different tune, so I suggest _you _be careful, little doll."

"Enough." Diana was getting annoyed with this bickering. She had more important things to deal with.

"Crocodile, move things along and prepare for their arrival. Zofis, return to your world and await further orders."

Both bowed their heads, far too vain for full-body bows, and portaled out. Diana let a smile play on her lips.

"Yes, not much longer..."

* * *

Jax yawned as he set the gummi ship to standby.

"All right, guys, good night," he said, followed by another yawn, as he walked into his room. Sota echoed goodnight as he went to his own room and flopped on his bed.

"What happened before?" he mumbled to himself, thinking back to when he'd attacked the bounty hunter with that...power. Darkness.

_"What's happening to me?"_

Suddenly there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," he said from his place on the bed. The door opened quietly and Mina stuck her head in.

"Hey," she said. He looked at her and smiled.

"Hey."

"Do you mind if I come in?" she asked. He shook his head, so she walked over and sat on the edge of his bed. Sota sat up and moved over next to her.

"What's up?" he asked. She looked at the floor as if forming the words to say.

"Are...are you all right?" she asked. She looked up and her eyes met his. He didn't answer, and she didn't want to bring up the particular incident with Raven.

"I mean, with your sister kidnapped and all the pressure of what we have to do...I just wanted to make sure it's not affecting you too much."

Sota smiled and shook his head.

"I'm okay. Really."

She touched his hand and smiled.

"You know, you can come to me. We're...friends after all."

Friends...he wondered if that's all she and Jax were. But at the moment, it was more important that at least she'd come to acknowledge him as a friend.

"Thanks," he said, smiling at her. She let go of his hand as she felt her face start to blush.

"What's wrong with me?" she thought.

"Well I'll let you get some sleep. We have a long day ahead tomorrow."

"Same old 'save the world stuff,'" he chuckled.

"Don't tell me you're not excited?" she said with mock surprise. They both shared a laugh.

"Well, good night," she said before closing the door. Mina smiled as she walked back to her room, unaware that the jewel on her shadow charm had a slight glow to it.

* * *

**Nightshroud:** That's Karashi's attempt to say MAR Heaven, if you didn't get that. And if you don't recognize the name, it's the world of an anime called MAR. It will be the last world the heroes go to in part 1. Well with all my college work and exams to study for, my time has been a little squeezed, but I managed to get another chapter out. Thanks for being patient guys. I really am doing my best to get these out. Well this chapter was pretty much all character interaction, but I just needed to get some key things off, as well as wrap up the events of last chapter. Anyway, next chapter the gang goes to the world of One Piece! Get excited for that! I'll try to get that one up soon.

Next chapter: **Welcoming Committee**

**Nightshroud:** And once again, it's time to get to know you're favorite characters! This time it's Jax!

**Jax:** _blows kisses_. Hello, my adoring fans!

**Nightshroud:** What a ham...err, anyway! Jax's elements are earth and wind, and his weapon is a buster sword. His spells are Aero and Protect. His abilities Air Hammer, Terra Shield, Earth Glaive, and generating wind shockwaves. Jax will be getting new moves later as well, three that I know of now, including one that he will get very soon.

**Jax:** Ha, awesome! I'll bet they're better than Sota's.

**Sota:** ...

**Nightshroud:** Well...no. But it's pretty close.

**Jax:** Ah well, whatever. I don't need to have better moves. I've got charisma!

**Nightshroud:** ...and that concludes this segment.


	29. Welcoming Committee

**Chapter X****XIX: Welcoming Committee**

* * *

**Nightshroud:** Hello all! I hope you got a chance to see my picture of Jax! On a side note, am I the only one who hates the new design for the fanfiction accounts? I think it's really annoying. I wish they'd change it back. Ah well. I just submitted more pictures, but they have to be approved, so check in a few days to see if they're there, unless you want me to send you a message and let you know. Anyway, and nice long chapter here for you. Enjoy!

* * *

Sota awoke with a start, panting and sweating. There was a knock on the door, and Sota cried out, falling off the edge of the bed. Mina gently swung the door open and peeked in.

"Sota? Are you all right?"

Sota laughed nervously as he pushed the blankets off that he managed to drag down with him.

"Oh yeah. I'm great."

"But you don't look so good," she said, noticing his state. He laughed nervously again.

"Oh, I think it's just really hot in here. I must have forgotten to turn down the heat last night."

Mina turned and looked at the thermostat, which read 70 degrees. She turned and looked at him raising an eyebrow. He smiled and gave a shrug.

"Hey, what's taking so long? I hope you guys aren't-" Jax started from the cockpit.

"Keep talking if you want to be short two somethings," Mina threatened. Silence followed from the cockpit.

"Let's not keep him waiting!" Sota said almost too eagerly, grabbing his jacket and running out of the room. Mina watched him run with her arms crossed, very suspicious.

* * *

"So is this the place?" Sota asked, looking out the viewport at the world in front of them, with a large amount of ocean and a very sandy, dry looking part of land. Jax nodded.

"That's it," he confirmed. Mina walked up and stopped behind Jax's chair and leaned on it.

"Well, we'd better hurry and see what the situation is."

"You're wish is my command," he said huskily, smiling up at her. She blushed and crossed her arms, looking unamused. Jax piloted the ship into the atmosphere as the other two took their seats.

"Let's hope we break our record and actually make a successful landing this time," Sota said.

* * *

"So thirsty!" a young man with black hair said, waving his straw hat and panting.

"Need water!" he wailed again. The orange haired girl next to him scowled.

"Stop whining, Luffy!" she said, "We're all thirsty!"

"You stop yelling at Luffy! I want water too!" a long nosed man with frizzy hair said from behind her.

"And you stop yelling at my sweet Nami, Usopp!" a blonde man next to him said.

"Sanji! Usopp! Stop it!" a blue haired woman said, trying to calm everyone down. The green haired man next to her made a noise that was obvious distaste.

"Vivi, there's no stopping them when they're like that," he said. Vivi looked at him.

"Zolo, do you think we can find some water out here?" she asked hopefully. He sighed and looked away.

"I honestly don't know," he replied.

"Well we'd better do it soon," said a reindeer with a large pink hat who ran up next to him. "I don't know how much longer I can go."

"Chopper," Nami whispered harshly, whacking it on the head. She looked at Vivi, who was looking depressed.

"It's okay, Vivi. We'll make it."

"I hope so. Not for my sake, but for the sake of my people. I have to warn them about Crocodile's attack."

The sand in front of them suddenly surged up and took the shape of a man. They all took a step back in surprise.

"Stop me? Hahaha! What makes you think you can stop me?" Crocodile asked.

"Crocodile! You creep!" Luffy yelled, jumping in front of him. "I'm gonna take you down!"

"As much as I would love destroying you, Luffy, I have a city to conquer. But unfortunately I can't have you interfering with my plans, so I'm going to have to take action."

He turned into sand again and sank into the ground before Luffy could pounce on him.

"Come back here!" Luffy yelled. The ground suddenly shook, and the others looked around warily.

"Uh, Luffy," Sanji warned. The ground where Luffy stood suddenly exploded upward. Luffy came tumbling back, yelling. A giant Heartless emerged from the sand, black and shaped like a centipede.

"This is bad," Zolo said, pulling out his two swords and placing the third in his teeth.

* * *

"Hey, what is that?" Mina asked, pointing.

"Oh geez!" Jax said, quickly moving the ship to the side as the ship rapidly moved toward the Sandcrawler Heartless. One of its antennas whipped into the air and struck the ship, causing it to spin out of control and crash in the sand.

"So much for breaking the record," Jax said, stumbling out of the ship. Shadows and smaller Sandcrawlers appeared around them.

"Let's go, guys," Sota said, summoning Brave Soul and slashing through a Shadow.

"Hey, there's people over there," Mina said, pointing to where the Straw Hat crew was. Jax hacked a Sandcrawler in half.

"The let's go help 'em," he said. They ran over and stood next to the Straw Hats.

"Need a hand?" Sota offered.

"Sure thing!" Luffy said.

"Yeah, at this point, I think we need all the help we can get," Zolo said.

"Well, good luck with that," Nami said, as she and Vivi ran and hid behind a rock, with Chopper close behind.

"I'm afraid I won't be of much use against that thing," Sanji said, who was used to fighting with his feet.

"Go back and keep Vivi safe," Zolo said. "These three, Luffy, Usopp, and I can take this thing down."

"Me?!" Usopp said in a high pitched yell. "Count me out!"

He ran back and dived behind the rock where the others were. Zolo rolled his eyes.

"So much for him," Mina said.

"All right, let's go then!" To the gang's amazement, he threw a punch, stretching his arm to an unbelievable length and punching it in the head. Then he wrapped that arm around its neck and pulled.

"Gum Gum Rocket!" Luffy yelled. He shot into the air and landed on its head, then wrapped his arms around the creatures head so that its mouth was forced shut.

"Waaah!" Luffy cried as he was tossed back and forth as the Sandcrawler wiggled its head back and forth.

"Now's our chance!" Sota said. He jumped at the Sandcrawler and unleashed a combo of keyblade attacks on it. The Sancrawler pitched forward and collapsed on Sota.

"That was close," Sota thought, looking at the protect spell that Jax had cast over him. He quickly rolled out from under the Sandcrawler as the shield collapsed.

"Do something!" Luffy wailed as the Sandcrawer wagged its head back and forth.

"Working on it," Zolo yelled back. He jumped at the Sancrawler and began rotating like a windmill, slashing its underside with his three swords. The Sandcrawler screeched and whipped its head about, knocking Zolo away. It turned to Jax and Mina and drove its head into the ground where they were standing. Both were able to jump back in time to avoid it. Luffy was thrown off its head and landed on the ground, his rubbery arms still wrapped around it.

"Waah!" he yelled as the Sancrawler lifted itself back up. Mina pulled out her kunai and threw them at the Sancrawler, embedding them in its underside below its mouth.

"Take this!" she yelled. "Thundaga!"

Her thunder spell hit were here kunai were, not just scorching the Heartless in that spot, but sending the electiricity coursing through its body, thanks to the conducting powers of her kunai. The Sancrawler writhed in agony, then shot its head at Mina to try to crush her. Mina jumped back and summoned her kunai to her hands.

"It doesn't seem like we're making much progress," she said with frustration. Jax grinned and nodded.

"Gotcha." He stuck his sword in the ground, and to the others' amazement, leaped at the Sandcrawler.

"What are you doing?" Mina yelled. Jax winked. He grabbed both of Luffy's shoulders, who was now hanging underneath the Sandcrawler's head, and dropped back to the ground.

"What are you doing?!" Luffy yelled, his arms now stretched from the Sandcrawler's head all the way to the ground.

"This might hurt," Jax said with a grin, letting go of Luffy. With a long cry Luffy was flung head first at the Sandcrawler, crashing into the underside of its head. The Sandcrawler reeled back and collapsed. Luffy, in a complete daze, let go and tumbled to the ground.

"Nice," Sanji said, peeking from behind the rock.

"I like to think I'm innovative," Jax said, flashing a smile. They all suddenly heard a screech and saw the Sandcrawler rise up again. Luffy sat up and rubbed his head before looking up and noticing the creature looming over him.

"Aaah!" he yelled, jumping away as the Sandcrawler crashed its head into the ground where he was only a moment ago. Luffy rejoined the others and they regarded the Sandcrawler.

"Now what?" Sota asked. The Sandcrawler regarded them for a moment, then screeched and shot a blast of venom from its mouth, striking the ground as they all jumped back. Jax peered into the hole in the ground.

"Acid. Nice."

The Sandcrawler started to shoot another blast of venom when a rock connected with its head, throwing off its aim so that the acid hit the ground next to them. They looked back to see Usopp grinning and giving them a thumbs up, his trusty slingshot in his other hand.

"Haha! The great Usopp shows his worth yet again!"

The Sandcrawler screeched and shot a blast of acid in Usopp's direction. Usopp dropped behind the rock, before the acid ate it entirely away. Nami, Vivi, Sanji, Usopp, and Chopper took a second to realize that their cover was gone before screaming and leaping behind another rock.

"This thing is starting to annoy me!" Luffy said, stretching his arm to throw a right hook to the creature's head. As it staggered, Sota aimed his keyblade at the creatures head.

"Firaga!"

Sota's powerful fire spell struck the creature a good hit. It seemed to waver for a moment, dazed. Zolo took the opportunity to jump and stab it with two of his swords before pulling them down the length of it. Mina saw her opening and hit the creature in the open wounds with another thunder spell. It screeched in pain before knocking Zolo and Mina way with its antenna, throwing them into Sota.

"Time to go down!" Luffy yelled. He stretched his arms over the Sandcrawler's head and held his hands together. He slammed them into the Sandcrawler's head, driving it into the ground. Everyone panted as they watched to see if the creature would rise again. It gave a weak noise and slowly tried to lift its head.

"Oh no you don't," Jax said. He slammed his sword down, causing giant rock spikes to shoot out of the ground.

"Earth Glaive!"

The rock spikes impaled the Sancrawler down the length of it. It gave a final screech before fading away into darkness. The rest of the Straw Hat crew emerged from behind their hiding spot.

"And that, folks, is how you take a giant Heartless down," Jax said. Mina walked up next to him.

"Stop being such a show off," she said. "You-"

She didn't get to finish because the ground that they were standing on suddenly crumbled and gave way. Sota stumbled back as the dust finally cleared away. He looked around and saw the rest of the Straw Hat crew, who had managed to scurry away from the opening in the ground. But-

"Mina? Jax?" Sota called. He looked down into the hole, but couldn't see because of the darkness.

"Do you think they're okay?" Nami asked. Sota shook his head.

"I don't know."

Zolo sighed.

"We don't have much time. Crocodile's probably already made it to Alubarna." (Alubarna's the capital of Alabasta)

"Then we need to hurry," Vivi said.

"What about my friends?" Sota asked. Luffy looked sad.

"We'll try to come back and help them, but we need to hurry to Alubarna."

Sota looked into the hole. They did need to make sure that no more princesses fell into the Tainted's hands, considering how close they were to getting all of them.

"Guys! If you can hear me, try to make your way to Alubarna! If you can't, we'll come back for you! I promise!"

He turned away reluctantly and hurried after the Straw Hat crew.

* * *

Mina groaned as she opened her eyes. She blushed when she realized that she was on top of Jax and scurried away. She looked around and realized that they fallen quite a distance and were below the surface. She saw that they ended up in a small cavern, dimly lit by the light up above.

"Ugh, that smarts."

Mina turned her head and saw Jax sit up, clutching his head with one hand and his back with the other.

"How did we survive the fall?" she asked him. He grinned slightly.

"Well, while we were falling, I grabbed you and then cast a protect spell underneath us. Unfortunately it broke when it connected with the ground, so we still got a nasty impact. We are alive though."

"You're amazing," she said with a smile. He actually got a slight dust of pink, only slightly visible, on his tan cheeks.

"Why thank you," he said, giving a mock bow. She giggled, and absentmindedly thought that he looked cute when he blushed.

"So what now?" she asked, sitting down on a large, flat rock. Jax sat down next to her and sighed.

"I'm not sure," he said. "I don't see any way of going back up, so we'll have to find a way through, if there is one."

Mina sighed and rested her head in her hands.

"Even if we find a way, we probably won't make it in time to help Sota and the others." She suddenly felt a hand on her chin, and felt it gently raise her head up until she was looking into Jax's eyes.

"Hey, you're too cute to spoil your looks on a sad face. Don't worry, okay? Everything will work out all right."

"How do you know?" she asked, looking into his eyes.

"You just have to have faith sometimes," he said, smiling back.

* * *

Sota hung his head as he and the Straw Hat trudged their way toward Alubarna.

_"I hope they're okay,"_ he thought. Then his mind started going down an unwanted route.

_"They're together. I hope Jax isn't trying anything with her. I wish I could do something to make sure he wasn't."_

His mouth turned into a frown as he thought of Mina and Jax alone. He didn't like that thought much.

* * *

Mina suddenly realized that her heart was beating unusually fast. Jax hadn't moved his hand away, and they were still staring into each others eyes.

_"Would it be wrong if..."_

Her eyelids lowered slightly and her cheeks flushed as she felt herself moving a little closer to him. She saw with amused satisfaction that he was blushing very faintly, but he smiled oh so slightly and began to move toward her too. They were getting so close when suddenly darkness sprouted up from the ground and they found themselves surrounded by Heartless. Jax grabbed his sword and surveyed the situation as Mina pulled out her kunai, feeling a surprising twinge of annoyance at being interrupted.

_"Stupid Heartless,"_ she huffed as she threw her kunai threw a Shadow's head. She looked over to see Jax slice a Sandcrawler in half, then slice two Shadows in midair that had leaped at him.

"Thundaga!" she called, sending down dozens of lightning bolts around them. She looked around and didn't see any more, when Jax pointed.

"Hey look!" he said as a blob of darkness, likely a Shadow hidden in the ground, swam away toward the one end of the cavern. They both followed it to find a tunnel leading away.

"How do I know?" he said with a sly grin as he looked at her. She laughed and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before running down the tunnel. Jax grinned as he watched her go, before grabbing his sword and following after.

* * *

**Nightshroud:** _dodges blunt objects from SotaxMina fans_ Hehe, sorry people! If you like JaxxMina, I'm sure you were thrilled, but I'm not saying which guy ends up with her, so you'll have to see. It was necessary thought to where i'm going with this, so just trust me. Anyway, next chapter someone I haven't done anything with in a while will be back (a villain, in case you're wondering). Anyway, I'll try to get that up quickly, but I have two exams next week (one on Monday and one on Friday), so I can't make any promises. I do have a perfect "map" of what I'm doing up to the finale of part one, and I'm pretty sure of a good amount after that. But anyway, review and let me know what you think. 8D Oh and if anyone can think of a better chapter name, I'd appreciate it.

Next chapter: **City Under Siege**

**Nightshroud:** All right! Here we are with "time to get to know you're favorite characters!" This time it's Sota!

**Sota:** Hey, everyone!

**Jax:** Try not to bore them to death.

**Sota:** ...

**Nightshroud:** Thank you, Jax. _shoves him away._ Anyway, where were we? Ah yes! Sota's element is fire, and his weapon is the Brave Soul keyblade. His spells are Fire, Reflect, and Cure. His abilities are Strike Raid, Fire Raid, Sky Blade, Fade, Fire Pulse, Rising Sun, and...I think that's all of them so far. Haha he's used a lot, so I might be forgetting something. Let me know if there are any I left out. Sota will, of course, be getting new moves, AND new keyblades, later.

**Jax:** Hey, he gets new weapons?

**Sota:** _smirks_

**Mina: **You'd better have a good explanation for this.

**Nightshroud:** Hehe let's not be too hasty. You two will get new weapons later, though not for a while. Satisfied?

**Jax:** Yeah. Besides, I got a romantic scene with Mina. _winks at her_

**Sota:** _turns red and fumes_

**Nightshroud:** ...and that concludes this segment. Next time we'll have some villain guests! Look forward to that!


	30. Watch That First Step

**Chapter X****XIX: Watch That First Step**

* * *

**Nightshroud:** What's up people? I finished all my tests before finals and I thought I's be able to update easily last week, but more work crept up on me when I thought I was all clear. So sorry for that. Anyway, new pics up on the website! This time we have Iselia and Marsilio! I'm putting up Rolan as soon as I get this chapter up. I have Sota done, but he has to be colored. Vesper still needs his head. I still have to draw Mina, but I have her design already thought of. Oh, and good eye, Scorch. I was wondering if anyone would catch that. I really put that in there just to get people wondering, but if I'm forced to give an answer, I would say yes he did. Anyway, here's the next chapter!

* * *

Sota wiped the sweat off his forehead as he and the Straw Hat Crew trekked through the desert. It had been one unpleasant journey, and he couldn't help but keep wondering what had become of Mina and Jax. He was broken out of his thoughts when someone - Vivi, he thought - cried out.

"Look, those shadow things!"

Sota looked as Heartless appeared in a circle around them.

"No problem. These Heartless shouldn't be a problem for all of us," Sanji said with a smile. His statement was emphasized when a Shadow leaped at him from behind and he swung his leg, kicking through it. The rest of the Straw Hats sprung into action. Zolo pulled out two of his swords, and dived forward, slashing through two Shadows before reversing his blades and stabbing behind his back, right into a Sandcrawler. Nami pulled out her staff and swatted away a Shadow that leaped at her before bringing it down on the head of another Shadow. Usopp jumped back and began rapidly firing off shots with his slingshot, knocking Heartless away even as they jumped into the air.

"Look out!" Sota heard someone say. He turned to see Chopper, the reindeer, looking longer than before. He ran forward and rammed into the Sandcrawler that had sprung up on Sota's left.

"Thanks, Chopper," Sota said. The reindeer blushed.

"Don't mention it," he said with a grin. Their attention was diverted elsewhere when more Heartless suddenly sprouted up in front of them. Suddenly Luffy's rubbery arms wrapped around the group of Heartless and squeezed them into oblivion.

"Nice move," Sota said after a moment.

"We have to hurry. There's not much time!" Nami said. They quickly continued to run toward Alubarna.

* * *

"Jax, slow down!" Mina shouted over her shoulder to him. They were fighting back to back, with Jax taking the lead, hacking his way through the Heartless that infested the tunnel. "You may be able to hack your way through the Heartless, but some people can't go that fast!"

She stabbed a Sandcrawler in the head with her kunai before bursting it apart with an electrical current.

"Why, can't keep up?" he asked, giving a grin that Mina found both infuriating and irresistable. "Seriously though, we have to hurry if we want to catch up with Sota and the others."

Sota. The name made her almost stop. Mina had to wonder what he would think of what had transpired between her and Jax. She shook the thought away. There were more important things at hand.

A group of Shadows appeared in front of Mina as she moved backward quickly, keep her back against Jax.

"Ugh, enough!"

She raised her hands and held them toward the Shadows.

"Thundaga!"

Lightning bolts crashed into the group of Shadows, striking through all of them.

"You're scary sometimes, you know," Jax said with a laugh. Mina gave a short laugh.

"Why do you think I've been single for so long?" she said. Jax winked.

"We'll have to change that."

Before Mina could ask what he meant, more Heartless sprung up. She gripped her kunai as Jax raised his sword.

"Up for another round?" she asked.

"If you can keep up," he said back with a smirk.

"You're on."

* * *

"There's Alubarna!" Zolo said, pointing ahead. The city was smoking, and explosions occasionally rocked the ground. In a few minutes they made it in past the gates.

"We made it!" Luffy said as they entered the city. Vivi looked around.

"But we still need to find Crocodile," she pointed out. Sota nodded.

"Let's spread out then-" he began when a voice broke through the air.

"Hehe, well if it isn't the little keyblade brat."

Sota didn't have enough time to guess who's voice the traunt belonged to before he saw a huge blast coming straight toward them.

"Run!" Nami yelled.

* * *

Mina sent a burst of lightning down as the number of Heartless began to grow too many. As the smoke cleared, she took a step back and bumped into Jax's back. Mina almost didn't notice that that the tunnel around here had grown lighter until she turned to ask him what the big idea was.

"Hey, we made it!" Jax said. Mina turned and saw that they had indeed made it. They could see the city of Alubarna, looming ahead of them.

"Nice going. I think we're going to make it in time-"

As soon as the words were out of her mouth, and explosion rocked the city, the magnitude of the blast rocking the ground below their feet.

"We'd better hurry," Jax said. Mina nodded and they hurried to the city gates.

* * *

Sota coughed as he pushed a pile of rubble off his lower half. He looked around but couldn't see any of the other Straw Hats.

"Hehe. I hope that didn't hurt too much."

Sota looked up to see the insane clown grinning wickedly down at him from the edge of the ruined wall.

"Rolan," he growled. Rolan laughed.

"You remembered! I'm touched," he said, wiping away a fake tear. Sota aimed his keyblade at the clown.

"Firaga!"

A blazing fireball shot from the tip of Brave Soul. Rolan gave a mocking look.

"Ooh, fire."

He held his hand out and a blazing circle of fire appeared around it.

"Ring of Fire!" (it's supposed to be like those rings of fire at the circus. ya know, keeping with his clown theme. moving on...)

He threw the firey ring, which raced toward Sota's fire ball. It sliced through it with ease and raced at Sota, who dived out of the way as it sliced through a building behind him, collapsing it to the ground. Sota got up and saw Rolan aim his gatling gun at him.

"Ladies and gentleman, the keyblade wielder's final performance has come to end!"

He fired the blast at Sota, but Sota was prepared this time.

"Reflega!"

Rolan's blast hit Sota's shield hard, but Sota managed to channel enough magic into it to deflect it back at Rolan. Rolan frowned and jumped off the wall toward a building next to it as his own blast took out a chunk of the wall. As Rolan came toward the other building, a fist swung at him through the air. Rolan twisted his body with acrobatic grace in time to avoid the hit and landed safely on the roof. He looked down to see Luffy standing next to Sota, and the rest of the Straw Hats assembling behind him.

"Well, the gang's all here! Ah. but where is out favorite little orphan? Don't tell me she's dead! I wanted the pleasure of hearing her scream for mercy," he said with a sick grin. His grin vanished as a kunai flew past him.

"I'm right here, freak-show!"

Rolan turned and saw Mina in the air behind him (she used Instant Light, in case you were wondering how she got there) before she kicked him right in the face, knocking him off the wall. Rolan growled and turned in midair, aiming his gatling gun.

"Happy landings!" he said, firing a blast at the side of the building. The explosion rocked the building, damaging its structure and causing it to collapse. Before she hit the ground, Jax appeared and caught her.

"Gotcha," he said, smiling down at her.

"My hero," she said teasingly.

Rolan landed perfectly and turned to face his attackers.

"Well, this is unexpected, but I'm more than willing to spill all of your blood," he said, his eyes widening in a craze. Sota gripped his keyblade, but Zolo put a hand out.

"You guys need to go find Crocodile and stop him. We'll hold off this freak in the meantime."

Sota nodded and turned to leave, with Jax and Mina behind. Mina turned and glared at the clown.

"Don't worry, dear little Mina. Next time we'll have our fun. And one of won't be walking away that time."

"You won't be walking at all when I'm done with you," she said with a hateful glare before turning and following the other two.

"You too, Luffy," Zolo said. Luffy looked at him, confused.

"Huh?"

"They'll need you. Go on. We'll handle it here," Sanji said. Luffy nodded.

"Right."

He ran after the other three, headed for the center of the city. Zolo pulled out his three swords and tied his black bandana around his head. Nami blinked.

"Pulled out the bandana huh? Must be getting serious..."

"Nami, you, Vivi, and Usopp try to see if you can get whatever people are left out of the city. Sanji, Chopper, and can hold this guy off."

Nami nodded as she and Usopp ran off as Chopper (the little reindeer if you remember) suddenly grew taller than both Zolo and Sanji, his body now rippling with muscle.

"All right, let's go," he said in a much deeper voice. The other two nodded. Rolan laughed.

"This _will_ be fun!"

* * *

Sota, Mina, and Jax ran through the city, desperately trying to find Crocodile before it was too late.

"Hey, look!" Jax said. They were near the top of the city now, and could see a crypt of some sort leading underground.

"Yeah, he's there," Sota said. "I can sense the darkness down there."

Mina was just about to ask how, when Sota took off down the steps and into the darkness. She looked at Jax, who made a "ladies first" sweep of his hand. She fixed him an unamused look and ran after Sota.

"Did I miss anything?" Luffy asked, running up a moment later.

"Nope. Down you go," Jax said, pushing the rubber boy down the stairs before following.

"Crocodile!" Jax heard Sota say. As he came down, the room came into view. It was rather reminiscent of an Egyptian tomb, and had a high ceiling and many pillars lining the room.

"Well, you all made it," Crocodile said with a sneer as he saw the four of them. "But I'm afraid you're too late!"

The keyhole at the end of the room suddenly exploded in a burst of darkness. It came at them like a violent wind, and they tried in vain to shield themselves. Suddenly, Mina's necklace glowed, and a white barrier formed around the form of them, redirecting the darkness around them and out the crypt.

"Impressive," Crocodile mused as his arms slowly turned into the yellowish color of sand. "Now let's see if you fight as well!"

* * *

**Nightshroud:** I don't mean to make Usopp a total wimp in this, but he fights with a slingshot, and considering everyone else is lobbing spells and slicing things up, I wasn't sure how his...unique fighting style would fit in. So sorry bout that, though I doubt anyone's an Usopp fan anyway haha. Anyway, sorry if not much really happened in this chapter. I guess it just kinda lost substance after I had to wait too long to do it. Okay, next chapter is mostly the Crocodile fight, with some of the Rolan fight in there. As good as that is going to be, it is nothing compared to the end of the chapter. Something BIIIIIG is going to happen, probably one of the biggest in the entire story. Get excited!

Next chapter: **Shatterpoint**

**Nightshroud:** It's time for another round of "time to get to know you're favorite characters!" This time we have Rolan!

**Rolan:** _grins crazily_ Hello, ladies and gentlemen!

**Nightshroud:** _shivers._ Anyway, Rolan's elements are fire and ice, and his weapon is the Nightmare Roullete, a gatling gun. His spells are Fire and Blizzard. His abilities are Pyscho Bombs, Flame Flower, Ring of Fire, Whip of the Master, Ultra Fire Bullet, and Spinning Blade Drill. Rolan will also have some new techniques to show off when he finally has his confrontation with Mina.

**Sota:** And I thought he was bad before!

**Rolan:** You'd better be very afraid, little dear.

**Mina: **Bring it. I'm not afraid of some leftover from the Dark Knight. (disclaimer)

**Jax:** Ooh, diss!

**Rolan:** Yo momma so fat she couldn't identify a picture of her own feet!

**Mina:** Yo momma so old that when God said "Let there be light." she hit the switch!

**Nightshroud:** ...and that concludes this segment. More villain guests next time! Look forward to that! _turns to Rolan_ Yo momma so fat when her beeper goes off, people think she's backing up!


	31. Shatterpoint

**Chapter X****XX: Shatterpoint**

* * *

**Nightshroud:** Hello all! So sorry this took such a long time. All the wrapping up and finals took so much time that I couldn't post it. I hope the fight is good. It's definitely a record breaking chapter. 5, 112 words! How's that! 8D I actually wrote this chapter in reverse order, starting with the parts after the fight and then coming back to the fight. Well now that I'm back for break I'll update much faster. Anyway, here's the next chapter!

* * *

"Well, you all made it," Crocodile said with a sneer as he saw the four of them. "But I'm afraid you're too late!"

The keyhole at the end of the room suddenly exploded in a burst of darkness. It came at them like a violent wind, and they tried in vain to shield themselves. Suddenly, Mina's necklace glowed, and a white barrier formed around the form of them, redirecting the darkness around them and out the crypt.

Then all went white. Mina blinked and found herself in a strange plane. All she could see around her was white. Although, she soon found that that wasn't entirely true. She thought she could see a spot of color in the distance. She started walking toward it, and soon began to realize that it was a person.

"You came."

Mina finally came in view of the person and stopped short.

"Dad?"

Mina's father smiled at her affectionately.

"It's so good to see you again," he said. Mina threw herself into his arms and began to cry.

"Shh.." he soothed. She finally stopped crying and drew back.

"I missed you so much. Does this mean-"

She stopped when she saw him smile sadly.

"I'm afraid not. My spirit only exists within the shadow charm. Our family has had powerful magic in our blood for generations. I was able to imbue some of my spirit into the charm when I gave it to Merlin. I thought if ever you needed me and I wasn't there, I would still have a way of communicating with you."

"Dad-" she started.

"Mina dear, there's not much time. You can't stay in this plane for long. Listen, something terrible is happening soon. One of your friends is going to turn on you, and only you can stop it. You took more after your mother, who was more a fighter than enchanter, but you still have enough of my blood to be able to use the power of this shadow charm. Keep it safe, and it will let you dispel the deepest darkness."

The white started growing brighter.

"I love you, Dad," she said as he began to fade out.

"I love you too, Mina."

* * *

"Impressive," Crocodile mused as his arms slowly turned into the yellowish color of sand. "Now let's see if you fight as well!"

Crocodile formed his right hand into loose blade of fast-moving sand, then stabbed it into the ground, extending it along the ground like a torpedo. It began splitting everything in its path, including the ground.

"Desert Dagger!"

Jax and Mina jumped to the left as Sota and Luffy jumped right.

"What did I miss?" Mina asked.

"Miss? What are you talking about?" Jax asked. Mina blinked.

"So the whole time I was gone took up no time in this plane."

"Get on guard!" she heard Sota say. They turned to see Crocodile removed the gold covering on his hook.

"With all the poison in it, this hook is going to be the last thing you ever see!"

Luffy ran at Crocodile and threw a punch at him, but it went through him, his body reforming like sand. Crocodile swung his hook at Luffy's arm, but Luffy quickly retracted his arm and flipped over Crocodile. Before Crocodile could turn to face Luffy, Mina had caught his hook with her one kunai and kicked at his head. Her foot went through it as it burst into sand. Crocodile's other arm reached up and grabbed her before throwing her at Sota, who caught her.

"You okay?" he asked, still holding on to her.

"Yeah," she blushed, pulling away. She turned and saw Crocodile gather a swirling mass of dense sand and shoot it at Jax.

"Sandstorm Burden!" he yelled.

"Terra Shield!"

The earth flipped up to form a shield as the blast of sand collided into it, rocking the crypt with a massive shockwave. Jax charged his fist and punched at Crocodile.

"Air Hammer!"

The attack didn't did much good, since Crocodile's body turned to sand on contact. Sota ran from the other side at Crocodile. Crocodile smirked. He turned his right arm to sand and threw it at Sota, while swinging his hook at Jax. Thinking quickly, Mina cast a thunder spell at the pirate.

"Thundaga!"

A lightning bolt crashed through Crocodile's left arm before his hook reached Jax, turning it into sand. Sota wasn't so lucky. The attack aimed at him slammed him in the solar plexus, knocking the wind out of him and slamming him into the wall of the crypt.

"Why did she help him and not me?" Sota thought as he struggled to get up. He felt a familiar anger rising up in him, but he forced it back down. He could see Mina and Jax attack Crocodile, but their attacks were having no effect.

"What can we do? He's immune to any attacks as long as he can turn into sand like that."

Jax and Mina were knocked back by a blast of sand. Luffy tried to stop Crocodile from following up his attack by throwing a punch at Crocodile's face. To everyone's surprise, it hit Crocodile right in the cheek, knocking him back. Crocodile straightened up, holding his cheek. Luffy blinked and looked down at his sweaty fist, as if it could explain to him.

"Wait, sweaty…Water, that's it! He can only reform when he's dry! Just like sand!"

Sota wiped the sweat off his forehead and rubbed it on his keyblade.

"Strike Raid!"

He hurled Brave Soul at Crocodile, striking him in the chest. Crocodile staggered back, glaring at him with hateful eyes.

"Guys, he's vulnerable to water! Run your sweat on your weapons or whatever you're fighting with."

Jax blinked. "Eww."

"Just do it," Mina said, rubbing her kunai before running at the pirate criminal. Jax sighed and shrugged.

"When in Rome."

* * *

"So, who wants to die first?" Rolan asked, licking his lips. Zolo growled.

"Let's go guys!" He ran forward and sliced with both swords in his hands. Rolan blocked the attack with his gatling gun and knocked Zolo back with a kick to his chest. No sooner had he done that when he saw Sanji sailing through the air over him. "Eat dirt, you freak!" he yelled, kicking Rolan's head downward into the ground. He landed and grinned, seeing the clown submerged from the neck down, when suddenly Rolan's lower body flipped up. The clown succeeded in grabbing Sanji's head between his legs. Sanji tried resisting, but Rolan pulled his legs back down, taking Sanji with them and driving him face-first into the dirt before breaking himself free.

"How about you tell me what it tastes like, hehe."

He turned and was met by Chopper's head, butting him into the wall several feet away. Rolan growled and shot a blast off with his gatling gun at Chopper, who barely managed to get out of the way before getting hit by the impact.

Chopper ran up next to Zolo and Sanji.

"He's pretty tough," Sanji growled.

"We've faced worse," Zolo said, gripping his swords. Rolan was watching them with an ugly grin.

"It's time we 'shook' things up here!"

He held his hand out and orbs of red light appeared above it. They glow dulled until they turned black, forming bombs with bat wings on the sides and twisted clown faces on them.

"Psycho Bombs!"

The bombs began flying at the three pirates.

"Run!" Chopper yelled. The three ducked for cover as the bombs came flying at them. Zolo grabbed a rock and hurled it back at the one bomb, striking and detonating it. The other two caught on. Chopper stopped and kicked a loose beam on a building, knocking it into one of the beams, exploding it. Rolan growled.

"Not bad. But the games over."

He aimed his gatling gun and fired.

"Take cover!" Zolo yelled. The three dived as the blast hit the bombs, taking out the entire corner.

* * *

Sota ran at Crocodile, who swung his poisoned hook at Sota. Sota deflected it with his keyblade, then spun and bashed Crocodile in the chest.

"Sandstorm Burden!" Crocodile called. He aimed the blast of sand straight down, blasting both of them in opposite directions. Crocodile skidded to a halt, much less injured by the blast then Sota, and prepared to send another Desert Dagger attack at him.

"Take this!"

Crocodile looked up to see Luffy's stretched arms above him, fists interlocked, before they slammed into his head. He crashed into the ground and gasped in pain. The four heroes moved in closer, but still kept on guard. Crocodile suddenly reared up, swinging his right arm as it turned to sand, knocking them away ith the trail of sand it left.

"Crescent Cutlass!"

Mina grabbed her one kunai as she fell and threw it at Crocodile, nailing him in the shoulder. He cried out and took a step back. She used that opportunity to sprint forward and slash at him with her other kunai. He slid back in time to avoid it, then swung at her with his hook. She ducked as it swung overhead, then twisted her body and kicked him in the jaw with her foot. Crocodile recovered quickly, grabbing her foot and hurling her at the wall. Luffy stretched his arms and caught her before she made a nasty impact.

Meanwhile Jax had come up and rammed his shoulder into Crocodile, knocking him back against the wall.

"Aeroga!"

Before Crocodile could move away, Jax ran at him and slammed into him, slashing Crocodile with the wind shield.

"Enough!" Crocodile shouted. Jax, and soon the others, felt themselves blasted back by a powerful sandstorm.

"Desert Trunade!"

They were all blown back against the wall by the sheer power behind it. Finally the storm died down. They could see Crocodile walking toward them, sneering.

"You think you've found my weakness? Think again!"

* * *

"You poor fools are no match for me!"

Zolo staggered to his feet, panting heavily.

"I know this team. We've beaten the odds before and beaten plenty of villains when all seemed lost. I know that this team can do it!" Zolo ran forward in a burst of speed that took Rolan by surprise.

"Got him!"

Zolo's first attack knocked Rolan's gatling gun away, then he went in for the kill.

"Now you're mine!"

Zolo's swords suddenly stopped short. He looked down, unable to believe his eyes. A large, pointy bone was jutting out of each of Rolan's forearms, defending him against Zolo's swords. Rolan laughed and brought his face closer to Zolo's. As he did this, his irises turned a venomous yellow and the eye around it darknened to black.

"Ah, but you have no idea what I can do!"

* * *

"Wasteland Tremor!" Crocodile placed his hand on the ground. Sota watched, but didn't seem to see much happening. He thought the wall around started to look more worn and old. That might have been his imagination. He suddenly found his throat very dry, and his eyes and lips felt dry and sore.

"What's going on?" he wondered. He looked down and suddenly noticed the sweat on his hand was gone. He looked at his friends and also noticed that all the sweat that was on them was gone. Sota suddenly gasped.

"He sucking the moisture out of the area!"

* * *

"I think that's everyone," Nami said. Vivi looked around sadly.

"I wish we could have gotten here sooner."

"We did all we could," Nami said softly, laying her hand on Vivi's shoulder.

"I know," Vivi said.

"Hey, you two!" Usopp called. The two women ran over to where Usopp was standing.

"I see someone coming. You think it's Luffy and the others?" he asked. Vivi shook her head.

"No, Luffy went in that direction. It could be Zolo, Sanji, and Chopper."

They peered ahead through the smoke. The wind picked up and blew it aside. All three felt their blood drain from their faces.

"You!" Nami said.

* * *

_"He's drained all the moisture in the area,"_ Sota thought as he panted. Luffy growled and ran forward, throwing a series of rapid punches at Crocodile. It did no good. Crocodile merely turned to sand on impact.

"Desert Dagger!"

Crocodile blasted Luffy back against the wall with a laugh.

"Now that we have no source of moisture, he's invincible!" Jax said, balling his hands into fists. Crocodile loomed over them, assured in his victory.

"If we can't use wet him…then we'll have to dry him up."

Crocodile grinned. "It's all over for you. Desert Rapier!"

Crocodile used the sand to form several blades with fan-shaped edges and aimed them at the four. Before Crocodile could unleash his attack he was hit by a fire spell from Sota.

"Firaga!"

Crocodile was blasted back into the wall. He started to move, but realized something was wrong. He looked down to see that his chest was covered with glass.

"You heat sand, you get glass," Sota said with a smirk. Crocodile growled and ran at Sota, swinging his poisoned hook. Sota poured all his magical energy into his keyblade.

"Firaga!"

Crocodile cried out as the fireball connected with him. When the smoke cleared, Mina gasped. Standing in Crocodile's place was a glass statue, his face frozen in pain. Sota panted and lowered his keyblade. Suddenly the ground lurched and threw them down.

"The crypt is collapsing. We have to get out!" Luffy said. They all turned and ran up the stairs as the room crumbled around them.

* * *

"So Crocodile failed me," Diana said. Marsilio folded his arms over his chest.

"That's correct. However, we didn't come out empty handed," he said with an evil smirk.

* * *

Sota, Luffy, Jax, and Mina ran through the city, searching for the others.

"Luffy!" they heard someone call. They turned and saw Nami waving for them. They ran over and were taken aback.

"What happened?" Luffy asked.

"That clown, whatever he was-" Zolo growled as Nami finished wrapping up his injuries. "He was too much for us. He…he wasn't human."

"Where's Vivi?" Sota asked. Zolo, Sanji, and Chopper lowered their heads as Nami turned away and Usopp patted her shoulder.

"He took her," Sanji finally said. Sota, Jax, and Mina looked at each other.

"What are the people of Alibasta going to think when they find that Princess Vivi has been kidnapped?" Usopp wondered. Sota felt himself turn white.

"What did you call her?" he asked. Usopp looked at him strangely.

"Princess Vivi. Why?"

Sota and the other two exchanged glances. They'd lost another one!

* * *

Mina sighed and sat down on her bed. The fight had been exhausting, and after saying goodbyes the gang had decided for some rest. Right now though the gang was slightly down after losing yet another princess. A soft knock on the door stirred her from her thoughts. She got up and opened it to see Jax standing there, smiling.

"Jax? What is it?" she asked, curious.

"Well, Sota's in his room resting from using up all his magic power, and I was hungry, so I thought you'd might want to join me for a little snack."

He held his hand out to her expectedly. Mina looked at it, then back at his face. He had a patient, inviting smile on his face.

"Okay," she said softly, taking his hand. He grinned happily and led her toward the kitchen. Mina was almost becoming suspicious that this was a prank when they entered the kitchen. Mina stopped short, her breath catching in her throat.

The kitchen was all cleaned up. The table was simply but elegantly decorated, with a white tablecloth and two candles. All the food was arranged on the table, looking rather delicious, and two glasses of sparkling cider were set for them.

"Jax…" she said, unable to say anything else.

"You like it?" he asked. She turned toward him and couldn't help but smile.

"It's…it's so nice."

"I wanted to do something nice for you. I'm sure you're used to better, but I tried my best," he said, more shy than his usual behavior.

"It's perfect. Thanks," she said, secretly thinking how cute he looked when he was shy and how sweet he was being.

"My pleasure," he said, bowing slightly and kissing her hand. She giggled and batted him away playfully.

"Well, don't keep me waiting!" she said.

"Oui, Mademoiselle!" he said with a sweeping bow. He grabbed the main dish and opened it, revealing an excellently cooked turkey.

"Everything is cooked to perfection," he said, keeping up the fake French accent.

_"Not so humble anymore,"_ she thought with a laugh.

"What's going on?" they heard someone say. The both turned, startled, to see Sota standing there, not looking his best. He looked like he hadn't gotten any sleep for a few days and had a rather unflattering scowl on his face. What surprised Mina though was that the scowl was directed at her.

"Sota, are you doing better?" Jax asked. Sota ignored him and walked between them into the kitchen.

"What's all this?" Sota asked, glaring accusingly at Mina.

"Well, you were asleep and all, so I just cooked Mina and I some dinner," Jax explained. Sota might not have heard a word Jax was saying, the way he was keeping his gaze on Mina the whole time, except to give a snide, "Really?"

Mina was started to feel a creeping sense of unease. "Sota, what's wrong with you?"

"Funny," he said, "I was about to ask you the same question."

Jax looked back and forth between them awkwardly. "Look, I don't know what's-"

"Keep out of this!" Sota snapped, pushing him back. Because Jax was bigger, he didn't manage to move him much. The main result was that Jax's perfectly cooked dinner found itself on the floor.

"What was that for?" Mina demanded, glaring at Sota. "You'd better-"

"Mina," Jax said calmly, "maybe I should just leave you guys alone."

Mina smiled in spite of the situation.

"Thanks," she replied. He nodded and walked away to his room. As soon as the door closed, Mina turned on Sota.

"What's your deal?" she demanded. Sota crossed his arms.

"I'm sorry if you throwing yourself all over him disgusts me."

"Excuse me?" she said, not believing her ears. "He decided to do something sweet for me, and you just decided to come here and ruin it because you're jealous of him."

"Jealous of him? What would does he have that I would be jealous of?"

"My attention?" she said, a little more cutting than she intended. Sota's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Fine. If that's what you want, see if I care. Go ahead and throw yourself all over him like a whore-"

Sota's nasty comment was cut off as a resounding slap was heard. He put his hand against his left cheek as he felt the stinging throb. Mina was shaking from pure anger, her hands clenched against her side.

"Don't. You. Dare," she said, her voice shaking. Tears were building up in her eyes, not from sadness, but from shock and anger. Sota's eyes locked coldly with hers.

"I used to think you were a nice guy. I used to admire you, how you managed to be so calm, considerate, and good to other people, but now I see you for what you really are. You're absolutely heartless."

She turned and stormed from the kitchen, fiercely wiping the tears from her eyes.

"I won't let him see me like this," she though with determination. She stopped and found herself outside Jax's room.

"Jax…" she thought. Suddenly she made up her mind.

* * *

Jax looked up as he heard the sound of a knock on his door. He got up and hit the button for the door, which slid open to reveal Mina. He smiled and let her in.

"Is everything okay?" he asked her, as she sat down on his bed. She looked away and didn't reply.

"Look, he's probably-" Jax began.

"Thanks," she interrupted him. He blinked, surprised.

"For what?"

"For the meal, for being so considerate, for showing me that you care, for letting me see the real you."

Jax was speechless for a minute. "Well, I'm glad I could-"

He was cut off once again, this time by Mina's lips pressed against his. He was completely surprised. Not that he wasn't enjoying this for one minute, but of all the ways he thought of kissing Mina, this certainly wasn't one of them.

Mina had taken her hand from stroking his chin and had now wrapped her arms around his neck and was pressing her body up against his chest. Jax licked her lips gently, earning a slight gasp of surprise from Mina. Jax used that opportunity to slide his tongue into her mouth, playfully licking her tongue with his. Mina laid back on his bed and pulled Jax with her. Jax rewarded her with a soft trail of kisses up her neck and back to her mouth as she ran her fingers through his short hair. Mina hadn't quite meant to get this into it, but damn Jax was a good kisser. That almost made her wonder how much experience he'd gotten from other girls with this, but she didn't care. She wanted him right now, and that was all that mattered.

* * *

Sota sat at the abandoned kitchen table, clutching his head.

"What's wrong with me?" he wondered. He looked down the hallway, remembering how Mina had stormed away.

"I need to talk to her. I need to make things right."

He got up and walked toward Mina's room when he suddenly heard noises coming from Jax's room. Sota's eyes widened as he saw Mina and Jax kissing passionately on Jax's bed. Sota felt his heart being ripped in two, but was unable to tear his gaze away. Suddenly a horrible pain ripped through his mind like lightning bolt. Sota staggered away from the doorway, clutching his head. The picture of the horrible eye in the alleyway of Dark City, the horrible symbol etched on his shoulder, the horrible phantasm that haunted his dreams flashed through his mind. He staggered back to his room as he felt a blinding, searing pain in his shoulder as horrific images continued to tear away at his mind. The evil symbol of the eye melted away into two eyes, piercing his mind with their blood-red gaze.

_"It's time."_

* * *

Mina was enjoying the moment, and wasn't nearly done enjoying when she had a sudden flash. She was falling forward…there was ice around her…and suddenly she saw a teenage boy standing below, staring up at her. Her arms and legs were still encased in ice, but her torso was free allowing her to drop down just enough so that before she knew it, her lips had met the boy's. There was a moment of surprise between the two before the ice holding her legs and arms broke and she fell into him, knocking them to the floor.

Mina stopped kissing Jax and pulled away. That memory…why had it resurfaced? Why did she suddenly recall her first kiss? The time she kissed Sota…

"You okay?" Jax asked a little breathlessly.

_"I can't hide it. It's true…"_

"Mina?" he asked. She looked at him and felt tears in her eyes.

"Jax, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have done this to you."

"What are you talking about?" he asked. She shook her head.

"Jax…I don't like you like this." Jax's gaze dropped as he sighed.

"It's okay. I understand." Mina felt so awful seeing Jax like this.

"It's not that I'm not attracted to you. I think you're really cute and sweet, when you want to be, but…I can't help it. I love Sota." She looked at him, almosting wanting him to get mad at her so she wouldn't feel so guilty.

"I understand. I can't force you to like me. No hard feelings or anything. I'm always here for you."

"Thanks," she said, choking back more tears. She hugged him and he comfortingly held her close for a few moments.

"You'd better tell him," Jax said, letting go.

"Yeah," she said, wiping her eyes. As she stood to go, her necklace flashed and she saw a vision of someone surrounded with darkness turning to glare at her with hateful yellow eyes, someone startlingly like…

"Sota!" Mina gasped. Jax looked around.

"What's wrong?"

"I don't know," she responded, "but we have to find Sota."

Jax followed her as she ran out into the hallway. She quickly turned and ran to Sota's room, only to find the door open and the room empty.

"He's not here…" Jax said. Mina didn't reply but turned and ran to the cockpit.

"Computer," she said, "identify the last location of Sota."

"Analyzing…" it's said in its computerized female voice. "Last known location was the escape pod bay."

"Escape pod? He left the ship?" Mina asked, panicky.

"Escape pod coordinates homed in on nearest planet."

Mina read the scan. Broken Paradise. How cheerful and inviting.

"Jax, we've got to go after him," Mina said, feeling very weak. Jax nodded and jumped into the pilot's seat.

"Right. I'll take us in now."

Jax directed the ship into the planet's atmosphere. Mina grasped the arm rests of her chair. Whatever was going on, it was a bad omen for everyone.

* * *

**Nightshroud:** How was that for drama and shock! Hope you all liked that. Well I'm sure you can see what's coming up next. Sota versus his former friends! This part is going to be two chapters. Probably going to be the most emotional and one of the best fights in the whole story. Get excited!

Next chapter: **Numb**

* * *

**Nightshroud:** It's time for another round of "time to get to know you're favorite characters!" This time we have Vesper!

**Vesper:** You're going to need quite a few more pounds and even more cash than that if you're aiming to be Oprah.

**Nightshroud:** _grimace._ Thanks. Well, Vesper's element is wind, and his weapon is the Deathsycthe Hell, a scythe if you hadn't guessed. His spell is Aero. His abilities are Wind Sickles, Air Decapitiation, Doom Drop, Flying Guillotine, Black Hurricane, and the ability to make clones of himself. He will also have some new tricks up his sleeve to sport in his next battle.

**Iselia:** We're going to get rid of the others no problem. How can't we? We're so kick-ass!

**Vesper:** At least one of us is...

**Iselia:** .........

**Nightshroud:** ...and that concludes this segment. More villain guests next time! Look forward to that!


	32. Shatterpoint Prt II

**Chapter X****XXII: Shatterpoint Prt II**

* * *

**Nightshroud:** Hello all! I have Rolan's, Sota's, and Mina's drawings done! I'll get those up soon. Sota's has all his keyblades on it too. In case I didn't mention it, Sota's original outfit was a red jacket, gray pants, and a black shirt. And of course his hair is brown and his eyes are light blue. Oh I don't know if anyone caught it, but obviously Rolan's appearance that everyone is used to isn't his true form. You'll see that coming up. And Mina's has her thunder-wolf summon. 8D Anyway, I'm sorry this took sp incredible long. It's that I didn't have enough time cause I did, I just didn't have inspiration on this chapter. I usually can picture the fights before I write them, but I couldn't with this one. Oh well. Hope you like it.

* * *

"We're here," Jax said, landing the ship. Mina was ready to bolt from the ship as soon as it landed, but Jax gently grabbed her arm. She turned and looked at him with questioning eyes.

"Mina, is it okay if I kiss you one last time?" he asked sincerely. She blushed as he leaned in and softly kissed her lips. It lasted only a moment before she felt him pull away. He smiled at her and she felt a twinge of guilt for putting him through this.

"Jax, I'm-"

Jax smiled slightly and shook his head. "C'mon, let's just find Sota."

The two left the gummi ship and found themselves standing on a large floating platform of gray stone. The sky overhead was a deep orange color, as if the sun was in the middle of setting and stopped. There were dozens of similar platforms everywhere with buildings on them, ruined and aged. They were obviously in some sort of city, spanned over dozens of these platforms. The one they were standing on was mostly barren, except for a bit of ruined wall at the far end.

"This the right place?" Jax mused. Mina pointed.

"Look!"

They could see someone standing with his back to them. They started to run toward the figure until he turned to face them. His jacket was now dull and faded, and the keyblade in his right hand had changed form. The most startling change though was in his face. His eyes were a venomous yellow, and he had a black design on his face. He grinned humorlessly.

"I was wondering when you were going to make it," Sota said. Mina gasped and felt her body go numb. He was exactly as she's seen him in her vision.

"Sota...what's happened to you?" Jax asked. Sota laughed.

"What, don't like what you see? Well this is me!" he said. Mina felt a tear run down her cheek.

"How did this happen?" she managed to ask.

"The Mark of Scath was the link, but it was his jealousy of your affection for Jax that fueled the transformation," they heard someone say. They looked up to see Vesper sitting on a piece of the ruined wall above Sota.

"The Mark of Scath?" Mina asked. Sota smiled and pulled up his shirt sleeve to expose the hideous marking of the eye.

"The mark I had planted on him in Darkness Vale," Vesper said with a smirk to himself.

"Why you-" Jax took a step forward, but Mina held him back. Vesper looked down at Sota.

"I have to finish preparing some things. Get rid of these two. We need to tie up some...loose ends."

With that he opened a portal and vanished. Sota laughed and held his new keyblade, Wayward Soul, out.

"Then let's get this over with."

"Fine by me," Sota shot back with a smirk. He summoned Wayward Soul and rushed at Jax.

"Protega!" Jax called, summoning a shield in between Sota and himself. In the moment that Sota was caught by surprise, Jax brought his left fist up.

"Air Hammer!"

Sota gasped as he was knocked back by a dozen crushing punches.

"Gotcha," Jax thought with a smirk. He jumped after Sota and swung his buster sword down at him, but at the last moment lost his nerve and moved the blade to the side. Sota smirked and narrowed his eyes.

"Heh."

Sota held his hand up and blasted Jax in the chest with a dark surge of energy. Jax fell back to the ground, clutching his chest.

"You're too weak to be able to fight me," Sota taunted. Jax stood up and glared at him.

"Sota…I know you're upset about everything. And I'm sorry about always putting you down and making you look bad."

"I don't want to hear it!" Sota yelled, darkness increasing with his hate.

"Sota, please. I know I didn't treat you like it, but you're really one of the only friends I've ever had."

Sota looked on in silence. Jax took a step forward, and Sota snapped, his eyes narrowingly hatefully.

"Dark Firaga!" Sota called, shooting a blast of dark fire at Jax. Jax dodged to the side as it flew past him, then ran at Sota and slashed at him. Sota sidestepped it, then brought his keyblade around to get at Jax from the side, but Jax parried his attack. The two were locked in combat for a moment, but Jax brought his foot up and gave Sota a solid kick to the chest, knocking him away.

"Dark Raid!"

He hurled his keyblade, charged with darkness, at Jax. But Jax had already stuck his sword in the ground and put his hands together.

"Terra Shield!"

The earth in front of Jax flipped up to form a shield. Wayward Soul slammed into it and continued to try to saw its way through as Sota pumped more darkness into it.

"Sucker."

Sota looked in surprise as Jax jumped and kicked off his shield before hurling his sword at Sota. Sota jumped back just in time as it pierced through the spot where he had been standing.

"I thought you were afraid to hurt me," Sota said, a trace of surprise evident in his cockiness.

"If this is the only way to wake you up, then there's no turning back."

Sota smirked and brandished Wayward Soul.

"Agreed."

Jax rushed at Sota, but Sota held his keyblade out in front of him.

"Black Nova!"

A stream of black flame shot from Wayward Soul, the end shaping into a dragon's face. Jax dived to the side as it crashed into the ground, forming a giant crater. Jax shakily got up, looking over at the crater, which continued to burn with black fire.

"He's really trying to kill him," Mina gasped to herself.

"Keep your eye on the game."

Jax looked up just as Sota aimed a kick at his face, throwing him to the ground several feet away. Sota jumped at him and stabbed his keyblade down, but Jax rolled to the side in time to avoid it and responded with a sharp kick to Sota's jaw.

"Earth Glaive!"

Jax slammed his sword into the ground, sending giant rock spikes jutting out of the ground. Sota looked up, dazed, as the rock spikes came closer. He growled and summoned a pool of darkness beneath him to sink into. Jax blinked with surprise, then turned as Sota emerged from behind him and swung at his head. Jax blocked with his buster sword, then smirked as he looked into Sota's venomous glare.

"Aeroga!"

Sota was blasted away as Jax created a shield of wind around himself.

"Looks like you don't have as much of an upper hand as you think," Jax said as Sota stood. Sota smirked.

"You have no idea what I can do with his power!"

"His power? Who are you talking about?"

* * *

"Hey, you guys," Sandy said from her seat at the computer in Ansem's Lab. Chaser blew out a puff of smoke and looked over at her.

"What is it, Whiz Kid?" he asked. She brushed a lock of hair away from her stylish reading glasses.

"I was cleaning up the files after our mysterious saboteur got into them, and I found something interesting.

"Is it a cooking manual? 'Cause Yuffie needs some practice. Me stomach is still hurting from when she tried to bake a cake for my birthday," Valon said with a laugh. Sandy sighed as Yuffie pounced on him like an angry panther.

"Please enlighten us," Rex said. "My circuits aren't getting any newer."

"It's a file I found in the backup drive. Something called 'The Old One Watches.'"

"So what does it say?" Chaser asked, now intrigued. Sandy shook her head.

"I wish I knew, but it requires a level ten clearance pass to access."

Yuffie looked up from the beaten Valon, finding the current conversation more interesting.

"Level ten? The DTD master password is only a level nine access code. How are we supposed to get in?"

Sandy flashed a grin.

"There is a secret known to computer slicers. When a password is installed in a computer, backdoor ways into that file can be found scattered throughout the computer. All I need to do is find those pieces."

Chaser stood and put down the coffee that he was about to drink in front of Sandy.

"Well, get cracking." Sandy grinned and nodded.

* * *

"Sota, you've got to snap out of it! We're your friends!" Jax pleaded with him.

"Heh, not likely. You never considered me anything but a loser. And you took Mina away from me!"

"Jax, Mina doesn't like me like that. But I can accept that. I care for Mina enough to put my feelings aside so that she can be with the person she does like."

Sota looked bewildered, then suddenly narrowed his eyes.

"I don't believe you!" he spat out. "I can see through your lies! You two were never my friends. But He needs me. He'll look after me. But first I have to get rid of you!"

Sota held his keyblade up in the air.

"Rising Black Sun!"

Jax jumped back in time as a pillar of black flame shot out of the ground where he was standing. Jax stabbed his sword into the ground and put his hands together, summoning wind to surround his sword. Sota shot through the black flames and headed straight for Jax when he saw Jax's sword floating in the air with a tornado surrounding the blade. Jax jumped into the air and grabbed it, pulling it up and swinging it around at Sota.

"Clinging Grand Typhoon!"

The tornado slammed into Sota with a large explosion, sending out a large blast of dust and wind. Mina shielded her eyes and waited for the wind to die down. When she was able to look, she saw Sota laying on the ground several yards away, and Jax leaning on his sword, panting heavily.

"It's…over…" he panted. Jax dragged his sword across the ground to where Sota was lying.

"Sota?" he asked. Sota turned quickly, his eyes flashing wickedly. Before Jax could react, Sota let a dark, spectral shadow emerge from his chest in between himself and Jax and form into a small orb.

"Shatterpoint!"

The small sphere exploded in an invisible, crushing wave of darkness. Jax's neck snapped back and his eyes went white as it ripped through his mind. Even from where she was standing, Mina almost vomited from the horrifying feeling of darkness and hate. Mina cringed as she saw Jax, looking like a rag doll, collapse to the ground.

"Jax!" she screamed, running over to him. Sota jumped back as she reached Jax, kneeling over him and trying to see through her tears.

"Oh my God," she said frantically, seeing Jax's state, his eyes wide and blank, his skin deathly pale, and his breath ragged and far between. Mina, trembling, stood to her feet.

"How sad for Jax," he said, his own voice exerted and drawn. Mina turned to him, tears running down her face as she glared at him with an anger he'd never seen in her before.

"All right, Sota. You had your fun. Now it's you and me. If I can't snap you out of this, then I'm going to die trying!"

* * *

**Nightshroud:** I didn't feel this fight that much. You'd think there would be so much to do with a fight between Jax and Sota, but I just couldn't feel it. I promise Mina and Sota's will be better (unless you think this fight was good, in which case I'm happy I managed to pull it out of a dive. 8D ). Anyway, I'll get those three pics up this week. Make sure to look for them. If you want me to send you a notice when I get them up, let me know.

Next chapter: **Numb**

* * *

**Nightshroud:** It's time for another round of "time to get to know you're favorite characters!" This time we have Iselia!

**Iselia:** What are you looking at?

**Nightshroud:** _sweatdrop._ Ok then. Well, Iselia's element is sound, and her weapon is the Soul Flute, an ocarina. Her spell is Shell (which I have yet to reveal yet). Her abilities are Enchanting Melody: Mesmeric Control and Chorus of Pandemonium, as well as a bunch of new techniques for her next battle.

**Iselia:** I'm so going to kick ass in my next fight!

**Jax:** If you and ass are involved, then I've got to see this (purrs).

**Nightshroud:** ...and that concludes this segment. Next time we'll have some of the Radiant Garden crew! Don't miss that!


	33. Numb

**Chapter X****XXIII: Numb**

* * *

**Nightshroud:** Hello all! Ok so this took forever to do. Not because I was out of inspiration since I got the majority of it done a while ago. I've just been up to my neck in studying lately that I haven't had a chance to do anything else. But I promise not to give up on this story. And as a little extra treat, the myserious Other Keyblader will be revealed very very soon. Get excited. 8D

* * *

Mina stood with a new fire in her eyes – raw, hopeless determination. Sota gritted his teeth and gripped Wayward Soul. Unleashing the Shatterpoint had drained most of his power, and he had already taken a bad beating from Jax. Mina pivoted on one foot, and Sota braced himself. Mina suddenly ran forward at him and slashed at him. The timing was awkward and slow.

_"Am I really that much stronger than her now, or is it something else?"_

He blocked with his keyblade, and locked eyes with her. Her eyes dazzled for a moment, and suddenly weren't there. He gasped as he was kicked fiercely in the back and knocked to the ground. He quickly rolled to the side as one of her kunai drove into the ground beside him.

"Hastera!" he heard her call. He turned to look at her, but she vanished in an instant. Sota felt an electrical tingle in the air and quickly dove to the side as Mina kicked downward, cracking the ground where he was laying.

"Dark Firaga!" he called, shooting a dark fire blast at her.

"Bolt!"

She summoned electricity into her hands and stretched it out to form a bolt of lightning. Then she took it and threw it at Sota, piercing through his weakened fire spell and crashing into the ground by him. Sota coughed and tried to get his bearings before he felt a kick hit him in the left side. He saw her shadow in front of him through the dust, now aiming a kick at his right side. He caught her foot with his left hand, but she twisted her body around and kicked him in the chest with her left foot. Sota stumbled back to the ground, with Mina's kunai next to his throat.

**_"Looks like you can't be trusted to do this on your own."_**

Sota suddenly gasped in pain. Mina drew in a breath as Sota shut his yellow eyes and began to writhe and gasp. Finally he stilled and opened his eyes.

_"His eyes! They're-"_

His eyes had changed from yellow to deep, fiery red. Mina was suddenly thrown off Sota in a sudden burst of darkness. Before she could get up she was grabbed by a giant clawed hand of darkness extended from Sota's own arm. It pulled her through the air and stopped her in front of Sota. His eyes locked with hers, and she felt him trying to attack her mind, when suddenly her necklace glowed white.

"What-?!"

In a burst of light both were flung apart to the ground. Mina got up and shook her head before looking to see Sota, also trying to get oriented. As he looked over at her, his eyes had changed back to yellow.

_"What happened back there…?"_ Mina wondered.

* * *

"Ugh!" Sandy cried infrustation. Yuffie came around the corner and looked at her.

"No luck?" she asked. Sandy shook her head.

"I've tried everything. I managed to find one letter in the whole system. S. Do you know know how many words have the letter S? This could take forever."

"We don't have forever."

Sandy and Yuffie turned to see who the other voice came from. Sandy didn't recognize the silver-haired man, who she guessed was in his twenties. Yuffie however drew in a breath.

"Kai?"

* * *

Sota shook his head. He couldn't remember what had happened in the last few minutes. It was as if he had blacked out. Mina was standing a few yards away, panting and watching him curiously. As to why, he wasn't sure. He did feel that his darkness was fortified, but he wasn't sure why.

"Ready for another round?" he asked. Mina stood straight and gave a slight nod. Sota ran forward and threw his keyblade, charged with darkness.

"Dark Raid!"

Mina crouched and leaped over the keyblade, then threw her kunai at Sota, who jumped back in time to avoid them. He didn't realize though that Mina had used it as a distraction.

"Thundaga!"

"Reflega!"

Sota quickly raised a shield to deflect most of the lightning bolts, though he was hit with the first few. Mina absorbed the lightning he deflected back at her and redirected it to the side, causing it to crash into some ruins. Sota tried to ignore the lightning burns as he stood and glared at Mina.

"Look at what you've become, Sota," Mina said acidly.

"Blame yourself!" Sota shot back. "This is Jax's fault, and yours!"

Mina was silent, and trembled slightly. "I admit that I am partly to blame for all this. I was confused in my feelings and I hurt you and Jax. But you have to take responsibility for your own actions, Sota! You let jealousy take root and grow in your heart until it's entirely ensnared you! You can't even see yourself for what you've become!"

Sota stopped as he suddenly remembered what he'd done in the ship the night before, and how he'd shattered Jax's consciousness.

_"What-what's wrong with me…? What have I done?"_

**_"Now now, none of that."_**

Sota felt his guilt ease away into the dark. He gripped his keyblade and smirked at Mina.

"Are you done stalling?"

Mina looked surprised, then narrowed her eyes.

"Fine, then we do this the hard way."

* * *

"Kai?" Sandy asked, looking from the surprised Yuffie to the grim looking young man. Yuffie broke her gaze on Kai to look at Sandy.

"He's Reyna's boyfriend."

"Reyna?" Sandy asked.

"The Angel of Heart," Valon said, coming around the corner. Sandy guessed that he must have been the one to let Kai in.

"Oh…" Sandy said, letting it sink in.

"I guess you left the Destiny Islands to find her," Yuffie said. Kai nodded.

"What took so long? She's been kidnapped for a while," Yuffie asked. Kai crossed his arms and lowered his head.

"I was training at Yen Sid's, trying to get back to where I used to be," he replied.

"If you're looking for Reyna, then why are you here?" Sandy asked. Kai walked over to the computer where she was seated and looked at the screen.

"While I was at Yen Sid's I found out that there's only one princess of heart left that the Tainted don't have. But that's not the worst of it."

"How's that not the worst of it? They'll have Kingdom Hearts then," Sandy said. Kai didn't answer immediately but lowered his head, letting his silvery bangs dangle in front of his eyes.

"There's more than one way to access Kingdom Hearts. Finding the Princesses of Heart alone accesses Kingdom Hearts, but in its lowest state. If they are used in combination with the Angel of Heart, though-"

"Oh no," Yuffie said. Valon shook his head.

"That's a bad run of luck, that is."

Kai tapped the keyboard and brought up the mysterious file.

"Whatever is happening, it's linked to this file. Yen Sid said as much."

Sandy put her glasses back on and nodded.

"Then I'd better keep working," she said with a grim smile.

* * *

Mina ran at Sota and threw her kunai at him.

"Instant Light!"

As the kunai flew past Sota, Mina began to teleport to where it was (think in slow mo here, people). Quick as a flash Sota grabbed the kunai in midair and threw it behind him over the cliff's edge. When Mina appeared next to the kunai, she found herself plummeting toward the dark abyss below. She threw her kunai again, embedding it in the cliffside. She teleported again using Instant Light and found herself holding onto the kunai for dear life. Sota approached the edge and smirked down at her.

"Your little trick backfired on you. Now it's time for you to go."

He aimed his keyblade down at her, the tip charging with dark energy. Mina kicked off the cliff and swung upward, planting to her foot firmly under Sota's chin. Sota hit the ground. feeling his head ache from the impact of the ground and Mina's foot. Mina landed in front of him and prepared to strike. She hesitated for half a moment, which gave Sota the time he needed. He sank into a pool of darkness, and before Mina could wonder where he went the pool appeared in front of here. Sota shot out of it, swiping her with Wayward Soul. Sota grinned wickedly at her as she groaned and tried to sit up.

"Flame of Misfortune!"

He shot a large black fireball from his keyblade at Mina. She summoned a large ball of electricity and shot it at the black fireball, which proved to be stronger. Mina was thrown back like a rag doll to the ground. She cried out in pain as she tried to get up. Sota walked toward her, brandishing his keyblade to finish her off. With all her strength she raised her head to look at him. As soon as their eyes locked an unwelcome memory invaded his mind.

_"Come in," Sota said from his place on the bed. The door opened quietly and Mina stuck her head in._

_"Hey," she said. He looked at her and smiled._

_"Hey."_

_"Do you mind if I come in?" she asked. He shook his head, so she walked over and sat on the edge of his bed. Sota sat up and moved over next to her._

_"What's up?" he asked. She looked at the floor as if forming the words to say._

_"Are...are you all right?" she asked. She looked up and her eyes met his. He didn't answer, and she didn't want to bring up the particular incident with Raven._

_"I mean, with your sister kidnapped and all the pressure of what we have to do...I just wanted to make sure it's not affecting you too much."_

_Sota smiled and shook his head._

_"I'm okay. Really."_

_She touched his hand and smiled._

_"You know, you can come to me. We're...friends after all."_

_Friends...he wondered if that's all she and Jax were. But at the moment, it was more important that at least she'd come to acknowledge him as a friend._

_"Thanks," he said, smiling at her. She let go of his hand as she felt her face start to blush._

_"Well I'll let you get some sleep. We have a long day ahead tomorrow."_

_"Same old 'save the world stuff,'" he chuckled._

_"Don't tell me you're not excited?" she said with mock surprise. They both laughed._

"Mina..." he thought. "I want things the way they were. I don't want to ruin everything I've worked so hard to gain."

Sota suddenly felt himself looking at a pair of mesmerizing red eyes.

_**"You belong to me."**_

Mina managed to stand up as Sota grabbed the sides of his head, crying out in pain. The black marks on him began to pulsate red, and his eyes began to glow red again.

"It's happening again," Mina whispered to herself in despair. She used every ounce of her strength to run up to him.

"Sota! Please, fight it! Jax believes in you! All our friends we've made believe in you! And I believe in you!"

Sota's hands became ungulfed with darkness and formed dark claws which he grabbed Mina's arms with. Sota shut his eyes.

"You...broke my heart..." he managed to say. Mina felt tears run down her cheeks.

"Sota, I love you."

She leaned forward and kissed him desperately, trying to convey how much she felt for him. Sota suddenly felt the darkness shatter, and that invisible hold on him fade away. Mina felt the pain in her arms from the dark claws fade replaced by the gentle touch of his hands. She opened her eyes to see his blue eyes looking at her, trembling with the sadness and guilt of all that he had done.

"Mina..." he said weakly, attempting a feeble smile.

"Sota!" she cried, throwing her arms around him. She felt him go limp, and she slowly lowered him to the ground before dragging him over to Jax. She fished around in her pocket before she found her communicator.

"Radiant Garden Maintanence Committee, this Mina. Please....help..."

Mina felt everything go dark as she fell to the ground next to her friends.

* * *

**Nightshroud:** Well for how long this took, I hope you guys liked it. Very dramatic indeed. Well next chapter they'll be going to the final world before the Tainted's home base. Wooh! Next chapter I'm very excited to write. You'll see why!

Next chapter: **Princess vs. Pretty Boy**

* * *

**Nightshroud:** It's time for another round of "time to get to know you're favorite characters!" This time we have Marsilio!

**Marsilio:** You forgot about me.

**Nightshroud:** _sweatdrop._ Hehe no no of course not. _slides chair toward the exit._ Well, Marsilio's element is sakura/cherry blossoms, and his weapon is the Sakura Sword, an elegant samurai sword tinted pink. He is the only member of the Tainted to not use spells. His abilities are Scatter Burst, Sakura Sword: Death in One Cut, Sakura Sword: Massacre Scene (not used yet), Sakura Blizzard: 1000 Cherry Blossoms (not used yet), and Sakura Blizzard: Memorial Flower Sending (not used yet).

**Jax:** Those are some cool...flowers hehe. _snickers_

**Marsilio:** Who said that? I'll find you! _summons ten Sakura Swords_

**Jax:** Aah! _ducks behind sofa._

**Nightshroud:** Not the swords! You'll ruin the upholstery - _sigh_ never mind. There goes my refund. That concludes this segment. Next time we'll have some of the Radiant Garden crew! Don't miss that! _eyes glow red._ JAX! MARSILIO!!


	34. Princess vs Pretty Boy!

**Chapter X****XXIV: Princess vs. Pretty Boy**

* * *

**Nightshroud:** Hello all! Ok so this took forever to do. I've never lost interest in this story, but I've just been up to my neck in work for forever. Fortunately in two weeks my freshman year is over (Drexel University has a weird schedule) and I'll be free to update whenever I want. Yay! But till then don't expect anything new. I'm going to be insanely busy with finals till then. Anyway, I think I've kept you all waiting long enough. Read on!

* * *

"Hey, rise and shine, Sleeping Beauty."

Mina opened her eyes to see Valon grinning in her face.

"Give her some air, Valon," Yuffie said, putting her hand over his face and shoving him away.

"You guys came," Mina said, smiling. Yuffie nodded.

"We got your message right before it cut off. You're lucky that Rex was able to pinpoint your location and give us the nav coordinates."

"And that I was here to help heal you all," put in Merlin, who was resting in a chair opposite Yuffie.

"Where are we?" Mina asked.

"We got you aboard the Highwind, since our ship isn't meant for overnight travel," Valon explained.

Mina sat up and looked around. "Where are Sota and Jax?" she asked, turning to look at Yuffie. Yuffie's face fell a little.

* * *

The noise of the door sliding open startled Sota from his thoughts. He looked up to see Merlin, Yuffie, Valon, and -

"Mina! You're awake!"

Mina smiled and hugged him. She pulled away after a moment and looked at the bed.

"Jax...he's still-?"

Everyone's gaze drifted to the metallic floor. Mina walked over to Jax and knelt down next to him.

"Jax..." she said softly, her eyes brimming with tears. She drooped her head, and her shadow charm rested gently on his chest as she began to cry. One tear managed to land directly on her shadow charm. Instantly the room grew darker as the shadow charm glowed white.

"The shadow charm!" Merlin gasped.

Around Jax's head a dark aura appeared, brought out by the charm. Then in a burst of light the aura shattered, and the room returned to normal.

"Ugh, what...what happened?" Jax moaned, opening his eyes.

"He's awake!" Sota said, smiling. Mina brushed away the tears and looked at Jax, to find that he was looking...down her shirt.

_*SMACK*_

Sota and the others sweat-dropped as Jax picked himself up off the ground.

"Have you no respect for the sick?" he whined, holding the glowing red handprint on his cheek.

"Well I guess you're good as new," Mina said, crossing her arms and glaring.

"Umm, guys?" Sota interjected. The others looked at him.

"Do you mind if...I have a minute with Jax alone?"

"No, of course not. We'll be by the cockpit," Mina said, and she and the others left. Sota swallowed nervously.

"Uh, Jax...I'm-I'm sorry...I didn't..." he began, then turned to see Jax standing right behind him smiling.

"Huh? Aren't you...mad at me?" Sota asked. Jax shook his head.

"Past is past. What matters is that everything is settled and back to normal."

Before Sota knew what was going on, Jax had him in a bear hug.

"You're one of the only friends I've ever had, Sota. I just want it to stay that way."

Sota smiled, but at that moment the door slid open and Mina stuck her hid in. In a flash, Jax shoved Sota away, who fell into a chair and flipped over.

"What's going on?" Mina asked with a sly smile, who had seen enough to guess what had happened.

"Sota's just clowning around," Jax lied with a grin. Sota looked up from the ground and frowned.

"What? But you-"

Jax quickly slid his leg over and planted his foot in Sota's face before pushing him backward again.

"Well the others have to get back to Radiant Garden, so they want to know what are plans are."

"Coming," Jax said running after her. "Come on, Sota, no time for games!" he called back. Sota growled and picked himself up.

"I guess things are back to normal."

* * *

"I really think you ought to get some rest," Merlin said, adjusting his glasses. "You've all taken some heavy damage. Healing magic can only do so much though."

Sota shook his head. "We really need to stop the Tainted before they get the last princess of heart. They could already be at her world."

"Besides, it's not like we're at death's door or anything, unlike someone else in the room," Jax said, crossing his arms and smirking at Merlin, who growled.

"Remind me again why we had to wake him up," the old wizard said, glaring at Jax. The others sighed.

"Sota's right. We have to do what we can to stop the Tainted. There's no time for a break," Mina said. Yuffie and Valon nodded.

"You guys take care of yourselves," Yuffie said as they got into their own ship.

"And crack some jaws!" Valon called as they shut the door. Sota, Jax, and Mina waved as the Radiant Garden crew departed.

"Well, let's wrap this up," Jax said, taking control of the wheel and steering them toward their final destination.

* * *

"Hey, we actually made a successful landing!" Sota exclaimed as they stepped out of the gummi ship into woods of some kind. Jax crossed his arms.

"Hmm, you're right. You think that's a bad omen?"

Mina rolled her eyes and walked forward, Sota and Jax following. They suddenly heard a cry from a short distance away.

"Hey, someone needs help!" Sota said. They ran until they came into a clearing, where a teenage girl, a little younger than Mina, with short black hair and a pink bow matching her pink outfit, was battling a group of Shadows and Soldier Heartless.

"Hey, we'll help you!" Sota said, summoning his keyblade, restored again to Brave Soul. He, Mina, and Jax formed a ring around the girl, protecting her from the Heartless.

"Take them out!" he yelled to the others as he ran forward, slashing through a Soldier. It didn't take long before the Heartless were defeated. But as they were turning around to walk back to the girl, one Shadow materialized behind Sota and leaped at his back.

"Yuki-chan!" the girl cried. Sota sensed something wrong and turned just as a giant snowman landed on the ground behind him, smashing the Shadow.

"Waah!" he cried, falling backward. "Where the heck did the giant snowman come from?"

The girl laughed and said, "I summoned him. I hope he didn't scare you too badly."

Sota sat up, and the others looked at her. "How did you do that?"

The girl held um the necklace around her neck, on which hung a little snowman.

"With this Guardian ARM,," she said. She noticed their confusion and pointed to their weapons.

"Aren't those ARM?" she asked. Sota rubbed his neck and grinned.

"Sure. We'll go with that."

The girl giggled and extended a hand. "My name is Snow."

"I'm Sota, and this is Jax and Mina."

"Nice to meet you," Snow said, smiling cutely.

"You're not going to try to hit on her?" Mina whispered to Jax. Jax raised an eyebrow.

"I'm not a pedophile, geez."

Mina scoffed. "She's not THAT young."

Jax shrugged. "Well she looks it. Besides, I need more...mature women," he said with a grin. Mina looked unamused.

"Oh no! I've got to get back before the final round starts!" Snow gasped, and started running.

"Wait for us!" Sota called, and the three ran after her.

* * *

"So what exactly is going on around here?" Mina asked Snow as they ran. Snow sighed.

"This world, MAR Heaven, has been attacked by a group known as the Chess Pieces. It's their goal to annihilate all the inhabitants of this world!" she said.

"That's tough luck," Jax said.

"Well fortunately they have to win a tournament known as the War Games to take over," Snow explained.

"Is that where we're headed?" Sota asked. Snow nodded.

"Our team, Team MAR, has made it to the semi-finals against them. And the next round is about to start! If I'm not there then I'll miss the chance to fight."

She picked up the pace and ran faster, and the others hurried to keep up with her.

* * *

"And the number is five! So will five contestants please step forward from each team!" a little creature with a round head and lizard tail announced.

"Wait! I'm here!" Snow said, running up to the group standing there. There was a guy who looked to be in his thirties, a young man with long blond hair, a woman with long pink hair in a witch's outfit, a short boy with buzzed black hair, another boy with spike black hair and tattoos on his arms, and another boy with spiked blonde hair.

"Snow! Where have you been?" the eldest looking of the group asked. He had brown hair in a ponytail and a goatee.

"Don't worry, Alan. I got stopped by those Shadow creatures, but these guys helped me out," she said as Sota, Jax, and Mina ran up.

"Hey, thanks for taking care of Snow!" the one, a short kid with spike blond hair said, shaking their hands.

"Sure thing.....?" Sota said.

"Oh, the name's Ginta," the boy replied. "This is Alan, Nanashi, Dorothy, Jack, and Alviss." (in the order I described them, but hopefully you know who they area already)

"Don't forget me!" another voice said. They looked down and jumped back with surprise as a floating metal ball attached to a hammer by a chain jumped out from behind Ginta. The ball had a face, complete with a mustache to boot.

"And this is Babbo!" Ginta said, introducing the living ARM.

"Hey, is this the time for a reunion?" one of the cloaked figures, standing opposite to Team MAR said.

"Oh, you're right," Ginta said. "So guys, whose going?"

The others took a step back, all looking nonchalantly to the side. Ginta sweatdropped.

"I'll go!" Snow volunteered.

"We'll help too," Sota volunteered. Ginta smiled.

"That makes five!" he said. Dorothy, the witch, jumped on Ginta and rubbed her head against his.

"Oh, Ginta! Be careful for me, okay?"

Ginta sweatdropped, and Snow looked as if she were going to burst a blood vessel. Nanashi and Jack sighed.

"Why can't she like the available guys?" the whined to themselves.

"Then it's settled!" Pozun, the little creature announced. He held up his finger, and the ring on it glowed.

"Andata! Take us to the mushroom field!"

* * *

Sota and the others blinked and found themselves standing in a area filled with mushrooms as far as the eye could see. They were standing on a tall one, and about fifteen feet below them was the fighting arena. On the mushroom opposite the arena stood the Chess Pieces' team, all in black cloaks.

"So who's up first?" Ginta asked.

"I'll go!" Snow said, raising her hand to volunteer.

"The first match of the Sixth Round will now begin! Team MAR, Snow!"

"Go get 'em, Snow!" Ginta shouted. Snow smiled and jumped down to the mushroom in the middle. One of the robed figures jumped down from the other side and landed opposite Snow.

"The Chess Pieces, Aster!"

"Begin!" Pozun said. The robed figure grabbed his robe and tossed it into the air with dramatic flourish. Snow, Mina, and all the women watching from Reginleif leaned forward and gasped. The disrobed figure was a teenager about a year older then Sota. He had short black hair that was spiked into a short faux hawk and tanned (slightly lighter than Jax) and flawless skin. He wore a black, form-fitting, v-neck shirt, a light gray and white jacket that only came half way down his torso with the sleeves rolled up, gray fingerless gloves, and light blue jeans tucked into tall gray boots with white tips (like Converse style).

"Let's not keep the ladies waiting!" he said with a grin.

* * *

"Aah! He's so cute!" Dorothy squealed, eyes pulsating like hearts, as she pushed down on Nanashi's shoulders to see past him. Alan and Alviss sighed as Nanashi yelled up at the witch in protest.

"Dorothy, what about Ginta?" Jack asked. Dorothy's eyes returned to normal and she thought for a moment.

"Ginta?" she said, putting her finger to her chin. Her eyes drifted back up to the floating orb and focused on Aster.

"Aster…" she said dreamily, her eyes becoming hearts again. The guys all sighed.

* * *

"What's the big deal?" Jax asked, huffing. "He's not that good looking."

Aster looked up at him and laughed. "Don't be jealous, monkey boy."

Jax's face grew red, and Mina and Sota had to hold him back for he jumped down into the ring.

"Come and say that to my face, pretty boy!" he yelled. Aster just smirked and looked back at Snow.

"Are we going to start this match or what?"

Snow blushed as she realized that she had been staring and nodded her head.

"Nature ARM: Iced Earth!" she said as the ARM hanging from her right hip glowed. She lifted her hand and shot a dozen razor sharp icicles at him. Aster ducked and balled his hand into a fist. It became coated with dark energy and he punched forward.

"Aura Fist!"

The energy released from his hand in a fist-shaped blast and hit Snow in the stomach, punching her backward.

"Snow!" Ginta cried out. She staggered back up and held her stomach.

"She's okay," Sota said with relief. Ginta calmed a little, but the others could tell that he was on edge.

Snow ran at Aster and clutched at the snowman-shaped ARM around her neck.

"Yuki-chan!" she cried. Aster looked up in surprise and backflipped in time as a gigantic snowman smashed into the ground where he was standing. Just as he regained his footing Snow came at him from the side.

"Nature ARM: Iced Earth!"

But before she could activate the ARM, Snow suddenly found herself suspended in midair with her arms and legs held up by black energy bonds. Aster smirked as she noticed the black energy around his hands.

"Oversoul Binding!"

He pushed his hands forward and Snow shot backward before coming to an abrupt halt, snapping her neck back. Then he pulled his hands back and Snow came flying toward him. Just as she came up to him he put his foot out and she slammed into it. Aster released the energy hold and she flew back from the kick to the ground.

"What a ruffian! A true gentleman would not treat a lady like that," Babbo protested.

"You jerk! How can you treat a girl like that?" Jax yelled. Aster looked up at him and smirked.

"Try to do something about it, monkey boy."

Jax growled, and Mina had to try to hold him back again. This time Sota didn't help. He was too busy studying Aster.

_"There's something different about him. But what's his game?"_

* * *

Snow staggered up and panted. Aster turned away from the group on top of the mushroom and directed his attention to the princess. She looked pretty beat up, but there was a fire of resolve in her eyes.

"Still resolved to go on, huh?" he asked. Snow nodded solemnly.

"We'll just have to fix that," Aster said with a smirk. Snow held up a ring in her hand and smiled.

"A ring?" Mina asked. Ginta smiled.

"The ARM she got from Caldia, where they are created."

Snow threw the ring into the air and shouted, "Guardian ARM: Undine!"

A burst of water errupted from the ground and a nymph-like water spirit stood next to Snow.

"Hello, Snow," she said. "What do you need me to do? Take out that guy over there?"

Snow nodded, and Undine summoned a large sphere of water in front of her.

"Aqua Needle!" she called, and held her hands out. The sphere exploded outward in a powerful stream of water. Aster was so surprised he almost didn't have enough time to react.

"Oversoul Barrier!" he said, holding his hands as they glowed with darkness. The he brought them down, leaving a trail of darkness as they went, creating a shield that curved inward toward the top. The water from Undine's attack smashed into the barrier, errupting outward on both sides of it. Aster was concentrating his power there, when suddenly he felt something wrong. He looked up to see Snow falling through the air at him, her arm covered in ice like a sword. He didn't have enough time or the magic to direct two shields at once.

"She's got him now!" Jax said.

Snow swiped at him with the sword. At the last second there was a flash of light and everyone's eyes widened with shock as they saw Aster holding something in his hand, blocking Snow's ice sword.

"What is it?" Ginta asked.

"It can't be!" Mina gasped.

"It's-" Sota started.

"A KEYBLADE!"

* * *

"Hey, what happened to Sota and the others?" Sandy asked from the computer as Yuffie walked into Ansem's computer room and stood next to Rex.

"A lot. I guess back in one of the worlds that they went to Sota got some mark placed on him by the Tained. I guess he became jealous of Jax and Mina's growing relationship and the seal fed on that, causing him to fall into darkness. He fought Jax and Mina, but Mina managed to bring him back by telling him that she loved him. I guess that was enough to shatter that mark's power."

"Mark, huh? What was it called?" Sandy asked. Yuffie put a finger to her chin thoughtfully.

"Hmm...oh! I know! It was the Mark of Scath!"

"Scath..." Sandy's green eyes widened. "Scath!"

She whirled her chair around and began to furiously type into the computer.

"What is it?" Yuffie asked. Kai, Valon, and Chaser walked in.

"What's all the hubbub about?" Chaser asked. Yuffie shrugged.

"It would appear that Yuffie's mention of 'The Mark of Scath' has given Sandy an idea," came Rex's response.

"An idea?" Sandy said, turning to look at them. They saw that she had typed 'Scath' onto the computer screen. "Better than that. It's given me the password!"

They all leaned forward in shock as she hit the enter key and the long-awaited file opened before them.

"We're in!" she said triumphantly.

* * *

"He's the other keyblade wielder!" Sota gasped. Sure enough, Aster held a keyblade backhanded (His style alternates between the two, using mostly normal style, but that's just the way he summoned it to block. I just though it would look cooler that way 8D ). The hanguard was black and shaped like a heart, and that shaft was red, but had creeping tendrils of black winding along it. The teeth were two curved black spikes and one straight one in between them.

Aster mentally chided himself for being careless enough to have to reveal his keyblade. He pushed his keyblade to the left and threw Snow to the side (Remember she was still in the air. This all happened very quickly.) As Snow started to get up, Aster charged his hand with darkness and shot a variation of his Aura Fist, this one open-handed.

"Stay down."

The energy hand grabbed her and pinned it to the ground. Aster was about to come at her when a giant column of water errupted from the ground in front of him as he jumped back.

"I guess he forgot about Undine," Ginta said with a grin. Undine drew water to her hand and froze it into a icicle spears, then threw them at Aster. Aster charged his hands with darkness and moves them across the air. The darkness trailed behind and became a solid shield in the air for a moment, blocking the icicles before they could hit (In case you don't quite understand the description, have you ever seen the show Teen Titans? Well Aster creates force fields and barriers like Raven does, so think of it like that).

"Iced Earth!" Aster heard Snow call. Snow, who had freed herself, shot icicles throught he air at him, but he swatted them away with ease using his keyblade, Tainted Soul. Snow, however, was using the attack as a distraction, and had made it over to Undine.

"Hey, brat, quit fooling around!" one of the cloaked figures yelled down at Aster.

"Oh keep your shirt on. I'm just having some fun," he yelled back.

* * *

Mina frowned when she heard the little spat.

_"That other voice was a girl's, and it sounded familiar..."_

"Come on, Princess Snow! Finish this guy!" Babbo cheered. Mina, Sota, and Jax all froze.

"Wait, what did he call her?" Sota asked, desperate. Ginta looked at them strangely.

"Princess Snow," he replied. "She's the heir to the throne of Lestava."

"She's a princess!" Jax exclaimed.

"Then..." Mina said, looking at Sota, who had turned very pale.

"This is bad! Ginta, we have to stop the fight!" Sota said.

"We can't do that!" Babbo said. "Then we'd lose the match!"

"Snow's in danger! That guy's here to take her!" he said, pointing at Aster. Ginta's eyes widened.

"What!"

* * *

"Let's wrap this up!" Snow said to her guardian. Undine nodded.

"I couldn't agree more," Aster said, smirking.

"Aqua Needle!" Undine called, shooting another intense blast of water at the keyblader. Aster de-summoned his keyblade and created another darkness shield.

"Oversoul Barrier!"

The water smashed into the shield, but couldn't break through, though Undine continued to pour more power into the attack. Aster had his arms up to hold up the shield, and now black flame-pattern symbols covered his arms up to his elbows.

"Look!" Jax said, pointing. "It's-"

"The Mark of Scath!" Sota gasped.

Evidently Aster had better control of his and could activate it exclusively to certain parts of his body. He charged his hands with darkness and shot it into the shield, blasting it forward toward Undine and Snow.

"Oversoul Charge!"

"Snow, move!" Ginta yelled. Snow was too shocked to be able to react, and the shield exploded into them. Everyone braced themselves as the wind from the explosion blew at them. When it cleared, Snow was laying in a heap on the ground, battered and unconscious.

"Are you crazy?" the cloaked female said, throwing back her hood. "You almost killed her, brat!"

"Iselia!" Mina gasped. The cloaked figure next to her shrugged.

"I guess the jig is up."

Sota narrowed his eyes as he looked into the eyes of Vesper, Iselia, Marsilio, and Rolan, all smirking at him.

"Looks like you lost another one, hero-boy," Aster said, throwing Snow over his shoulder. "For the last time!"

"SNOW!" Ginta yelled as Aster carried her into a portal and disappeared. Sota, Mina, and Jax all jumped from the mushroom and ran toward the other Tained.

"Later, assholes!" Iselia laughed as she and Marsilio portaled away. Rolan grinned and set his eyes on Mina. "Soon, little one, soon. I'll taste your blood yet!"

He licked his lips and gave a maniacal laugh before jumping through his portal. The only one remaining now was Vesper. He snapped his fingers and a portal appeared next to him. He turned to walk in it, but stopped and cast a sideways glance at Sota.

"Coming?" he asked, then stepped through.

"Sota!" Ginta called down to him.

"We'll get Snow, I promise!" Sota called back. He nodded to Mina and Jax.

"This is it, guys."

"Let's do it," Jax said.

"And put an end to all this!" Mina finished. They all rushed then into the portal right as it closed. The time had come for the final clash, and only one group was going to make it out alive.

* * *

**Nightshroud:** How was that? 4,844 words. Not too shabby. I hope the wait was worth it. I haven't wirtten in two months, so I hope I'm not too rusty. Well in the show MAR, Snow was kidnapped by the Chess Pieces in the semi-final round, so you can see what I based it on, with a little spin, of course. So apparently the final mystery member is not only a keyblade wielder, but has the Mark of Scath too! Wondering what the heck is going on? Well that will be answered soon. I hope you guys liked Aster. He's my favorite character. 8D I wanted him to be a foil to Jax, so I made him a ladies' man as well. The difference is that the ladies come to him haha. He has a serious side though, which you'll see soon as well. And now they're headed into the final confrontation with the Tainted! The next chapter will be Mina vs. Rolan! This is going to be one awesome grudge match. On a side note, I though of a great theme song for Jax: Womanizer by Britney Spears hahaha. I think it fits him perfectly. 8D Anyway drop a review and let me know that you don't hate me for taking so long and how good the chapter was. Thanks!

Next chapter: umm...ideas for a name? I'm a bit brain dead haha

* * *

**Nightshroud:** It's time for another round of "time to get to know you're favorite characters!" This time we have Karashi, the guy nobody seems to like!

**Karashi:** Hey!

**Aster:** Don't sweat it. Everyone can't be as charismatic as me. Isn't that right, monkey boy?

**Jax:** Oooh I hate him.

**Nightshroud:** _grimace._ Do you guys mind? (pushed Aster and Jax off screen) Now where were we? Oh yes, Karashi has no element, and his weapon is the Windmill Shuriken, rather self-explanatory. His spell is Protect. His abilities are Shadow Shuriken Hailstorm and Shadow Shuriken Windmill. And...I guess that's it.

**Karashi:** _sighs_

**Jax:** _pokes head from behind curtain_ Don't worry, I'm sure someone out there like you.

**Karashi:** Really?

**Aster:** No.

**Karashi:** _slumps in chair_

**Nightshroud:** ...and that concludes this segment. Next up is Aster! Look forward to that!


	35. Doble Passe

**Chapter X****XXV: Doble Passe**

* * *

**Nightshroud:** Hello all! Well in an attempt not to embarrass myself I'm not going to even look at the last time I updated. Needless to say I've been busy with working and trying to finish up another story of mine, but I have let this go too long. I've never lost interest though, and I don't plan to now. Oh, and in case you were wondering about the title, Doble Passe is a dance based on bullfighting. I just thought it fit well. Well, the promised grudge match is here. Enjoy!

* * *

Mina was the first to step out of the portal and look around. They were in a large, open foyer with long, open windows through which a pale, deathly light shone through. The walls were a polished obsidian while the walls were a rougher black stone. Along the roof were ornate black arches with a jagged design.

"So this is where the freakshows live. Very evil lair," Jax mused. Mina raised an eyebrow.

"Do you think they know we're here?" Sota asked. Mina pulled her kunai out and narrowed her eyes.

"Only one way to find out," she said and ran ahead. Jax and Sota looked at each other, then ran after her.

* * *

"Finally, all the princesses are in our possession!" Diana said, looking at the figures in the glass holding chambers. "Now we can-"

She broke off abruptly and whirled around. The other Tainted were startled as she took several furious steps forward and glared outward, seemingly at nothing.

"What is the keyblade wielder doing here?!" she seethed, turning back on her four minions.

"He's here?" Marsilio said in shock. Diana's eyes narrowed.

"It appears you were listening!" she hissed. Marsilio shrank back as Diana paced back and forth.

"Queen Diana," said Rolan standing upside-down and grinning, "I'm not sure how the keyblader and his friends got here, but allow me to take care of them."

Diana turned her back to them and gripped her hands into fists.

"Go, and don't come back without their heads."

* * *

Mina, Jax, and Sota ran through the corridors until they came into a room much like the one they had appeared in. Mina suddenly stopped short, and Jax and Sota looked around her to see what had made her stop.

"You..."

Rolan stood in front of them, arms crossed and a wild grin plastered on his face.

"I've been waiting for this for a long time! You know I hate to leave a job...unfinished."

Mina stepped forward and gripped her kunai.

"Mina," Sota said, putting a hand on her shoulder. Mina brushed his hand away.

"I hope you know that this has nothing to do with you. It's personal."

"But," Jax tried to say unsuccessfully.

"This clown and I have some straightening out to do. I have to do this. I need to finally move on with my life."

"Then let's begin!" Rolan said. Mina ran forward and threw one of her kunai at Rolan, but he easily caught it between two of his fingers.

"You're not going to last long if you play like that," he laughed. Mina smirked and vanished from sight.

"What?!" Rolan said, shocked. Mina suddenly appeared on his left and lashed at his neck. Rolan was barely able to sidestep as the blade sliced shallowly into his neck. He backpedaled quickly and placed his hand up to the cut, narrowing his eyes.

"She's even faster than before!" Jax said. Mina ran again at Rolan and slashed at his face, but the clown ducked down as it clipped the tips of his hair. As soon as he touched the floor, though, Mina's foot connected with his face and sent him tumbling back. She summoned back her other kunai and stabbed downward at Rolan, but he placed his hands on the ground and lifted himself into a handstand. Mina quickly put her arms up as Rolan began a series of rapid, intermittent kicks. Rolan broke off the attack, but before Mina could pushed himself from the handstand position into the air and locked his legs around Mina's neck.

"Going down!"

He pulled his upper body down, throwing her over him and to the ground. Rolan jumped into the air and summoned his gatling gun, letting off a wicked laugh before he fired a blast at Mina. She quickly pushed herself off the ground and into a backflip as the ground exploded from the blast.

"Wow those two are some acrobats," Sota said.

Mina stood and glared at Rolan, who grinned.

"Ooh, that look always gives me the chills."

Mina ran forward in a nearly blinding burst of speed.

"Quick Thunder!"

Rolan leaped back as Mina slammed the ground where he stood, creating a circular, three foot, electrical shockwave around her hand. She didn't give Rolan time to counter as she continued to slam the ground with her Quick Thunder technique, just barely missing him. As she went for another attack, Rolan held his hand downward and smirked.

"Thousand Needles!"

Mina skidded to a halt as giant ice spike errupted out of the ground within a five foot radius around Rolan.

"Mina!" Jax and Sota yelled.

_"That was too close,"_ Mina thought, her face stopping within inches of one of the spikes. Suddenly she heard Rolan calling out another technique from inside the ice.

"Whip of the Master!"

Mina ducked as a fiery whip sliced through the ice, nearly taking her head with it. She quickly jumped back as the whip scorched through the air again, this time with Rolan emerging behind it. Mina continued to backpedal as Rolan cracked the whip through the air, just barely missing her. Finally he managed a hit on her arm, causing her to cry out in pain as it burned her arm. Rolan saw this as his opportunity and struck at her heart. Rolan, Jax, and Sota all stared in amazement as Mina snatched the whip out of the air, her arm charged with electricity.

"What!" Rolan cried in shock. Mina grabbed yanked on the whip, pulling Rolan toward her. He pointed his gun at her, and she charged her hand for a Quick Thunder attack. Both of them collided at the same time, blasting Rolan and Mina across the room in opposite directions. Mina shakily got up onto on knee, and panted. She looked and saw Rolan slowly stand to his feet, his grin still plastered to his face, though Mina could see the blood on his forhead from smacking the ground. Mina tried to stand but couldn't shake off the shock on her body. She snatched her summon charm from her pocket and held it out.

"Thunder Spark!"

The rest of the light in the room dimmed as a blue circle with magical symbols appeared in the air. A bolt of lightning shot out of it and hit the ground, causing and explosion of sparks that formed into a familiar wolf, standing almost at equal height with Mina herself with bluish silver fur that stood up, bristling with electricity.

"I'd like to introduce you to my friend here, Rolan. Fenris, destroy!" she said pointing at the clown.

"I thought his name was Todo," Jax whispered to Sota.

"I think it was her pet name for him," Sota replied.

("Thanks for covering, guys," the author secretly whispered from behind the set. Both give discreet thumbs-up)

Fenris growled and stepped forward, causing a slight shower of sparks where he stepped.

"Raigeki!" Mina ordered. Fenris opened his mouth and shot a large bolt of blue lightning at Rolan. He jumped backward and landed in a crouching position, but was inprepared for the follow-up attack.

"Blaze Blitz!" Mina called. The wolf barked and shot forward, spinning like a blinding tornado. Rolan didn't have enough time to move as Fenris collided into him, throwing him into the air with dozens of cuts. Fenris skidded to a halt, then shot into the air while Rolan was still falling. Again the wolf spun and collided into the clown, slashing and cutting him before driving him into a wall with a large explosion. While the smoke cleared a blue streak of lightning shot from the wall and crashed into the ground, forming back into Fenris.

"Good boy, Todo," Mina said, petting his side. She looked up at the wall, waiting to see when Rolan would emerge. Suddenly the wall exploded in a cloud of smoke, and almost too late Mina saw the deranged clown jump out of the smoke, firing his gatling gun at her.

"Ultra Fire Bullet!"

"Fenris!" Mina called. The wolf summon jumped in front of her and fired a Raigeki blast at Rolan's gatling shot, detonating them both in midair. Rolan didn't waste time on disappointment. He dropped to the ground and shot toward Mina. Fenris leaped in front of his master and growled.

"Raigeki Break!" Mina called. Fenris shot his tail at the psychotic clown like a bolt of lightning, but the tail split into seven parts as it got close. Rolan gasped in surprise, but the tails crashed into the area by Rolan. Rolan staggered back, then looked up as Fenris leaped at him, clamping his jaws down on Rolan's arm. Mina heard a crunch as her summon's fangs crunched into Rolan's gatling gun.

"Flame Flower!" Rolan said. Fiery tendrils sprang from the ground and began to climb up the wolf's limbs.

"Fenris, return!" Mina said before Rolan could complete the technique. Fenris turned into a bolt of blue lightning and shot into Mina's summon charm as Rolan gasped and looked at his arm. Mina followed his gaze and her eyes widened.

"His gun...it's cracking!"

Rolan realized she had seen his weakspot, and fired a blast at her to keep her on the defensive. He continued to fire a volley of shots as she ran in a circle around him. She jumped into the air and charged her hand with a bolt of lightning.

"Striking Thunder!" she said, hurling the bolt at Rolan. He only had enough time to throw his arm up to defend as the bolt slammed into it, shattering it into pieces.

"She broke his weapon!" Sota said in amazement. Jax crossed his arms and smirked.

"Looks like this is just about over."

Rolan didn't waste time with disappointment.

"You think I need that to defeat you?" he said with a laugh. "Not likely."

Mina growled and ran at him when she suddenly felt the air grow cold.

"The keyblader won't save you this time! Frozen Verdict!"

Mina stopped dead in her tracks as ice shot up her legs, trapping her in place. It grew at an alarming pace, creeping up past her waist. She forced herself not to panic in order to think clearly.

_"Got it."_

She charged her hand and slammed it into the ice.

"Quick Thunder!"

The ice shattered in a brilliant explosion, hurling her violently to the ground. She cried out in pain, causing Rolan to laugh psychotically.

"You see? I don't need that weapon to destroy you. I've had enough toying now. I'm going to enjoy killing you as I did everyone you knew and loved!"

Mina clenched her fists and forced herself to stand.

"No."

Rolan was surprised and stopped his tirade as he watched Mina fill with an inner drive.

"Never again!"

Mina threw her kunai straight at Rolan's face, but he caught it between his fingers.

"It seems you're out of tricks."

Mina smirked, and Rolan felt a sudden foreboding.

"What are you-"

"Instant Light!"

Before Rolan could even realize it, Mina was standing in front of him and her kunai was plunged into his heart.

"Now pay for your crimes, monster!" she said. Rolan coughed up blood and staggered back. Mina turned to walk back to the others when she heard Rolan chuckling behind her.

"How very interesting," he said, pulling the kunai out of his chest. Mina turned slowly, her face turning white.

"No...that's impossible..." she gasped. Rolan threw back his head and laughed insanely.

"You poor thing! You haven't guessed it? I can't be killed! I'm already dead!"

Mina stumbled back, unable to breathe in her sudden horror.

"You _are_ a monster!" she managed to gasp. Rolan bent his head down, and Mina suddenly noticed his skin was growing deathly pale. His hair grew gray and dead looking, and when he finally looked up Mina was startled by his eyes, which had become jet black with a yellow iris.

"A monster?" he asked. Mina suddenly heard a sickening crunch and saw a spurt of blood come out of Rolan's back. Then another, and another, and another. Her mind reeled as six jointed bones, like horrible spider legs emerged from his back, pointing at her with deadly finality.

"You have no idea what a true monster is!"

* * *

**Nightshroud:** Well I hope this fight is turning out well so far! It's going to be a three parter so there's more to come! Next chapter Mina takes on Rolan's true form, and there's going to be quite the shocking cliffhanger! Make sure to stay tuned, and leave lots of nice reviews! 8D

Next chapter: **The Walking Plague**


End file.
